Pen Pals
by wmr1601
Summary: Bella and Edward have been pen pals for years, but never met. Now, Bella's getting married, and they're meeting for the 1st time. When there's a problem the night before, who's there to pick up her pieces? Edward, of course! AH, lemons in later chapters.
1. Letters

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**CHAPTER ONE**

**Edward POV**

_Dear Pen Pal,_

_Hi. My name is Bella and I feel totally ridiculous writing a letter to someone I've never met. But, it's a school assignment, and I don't have a choice, so here goes._

_I live in the small town of Forks, Washington with my mom, Renée, and dad, Charlie. My dad is the police chief here in Forks, and get this: the town is so small that he gets to drive the cop car all the time, not just when he's working. I thought it was kind of cool when I was little, but now, as a seventh grader, it's just embarrassing. _

_My mom is a kindergarten teacher. She can be very forgetful, but she's a great teacher. Every year, the kids love her. _

_I don't have any brothers or sisters. When I was younger, I always kind of wanted a brother. Not a younger brother, though. I wanted an older brother, someone who could protect me. Is that weird? All of my friends who have older siblings tell me I'm lucky not to have one, but sometimes I still wish for one._

_My best friends are sisters, Alice and Rosalie. They look really different, even though they have the same parents. Alice is my age, but her teacher's not making her do this assignment. Rosalie's one year older than us, and had to do it last year, but she's already lost touch with her pen pal; do you know Jessica Stanley? That's who she had to write to._

_Let's see, what else? My favorite color changes frequently. Today I like brown. My favorite gemstones are garnet and topaz. My birthday is September 13__th__. I love to cook and grocery shop and help my mom with those chores. Oh, also, my full name is Isabella, but please don't ever call me that!_

_Well, I can't really think of anything else to write, and since I've actually written enough for the assignment, I'm going to stop now. I look forward to hearing back from you._

_Sincerely,_

_Bella Swan_

_Forks Middle School_

I remember the day I received that letter like it was yesterday. My ninth grade English teacher, Mr. Berty, had given us a few weeks notice about the pen pal assignment. The other teacher was one of his best friends from college, and every year they did this: forced unwilling students to write to complete strangers. Of course, the teachers didn't view it as _forcing_. They called it _a good life experience_. No one in my class had been particularly excited about receiving the initial letters from the small town kids. After all, we lived in Chicago; why would we care about someone from a small town? I realized the folly of those attitudes now.

Bella and I had become the best of friends. It feels strange to say that one of my best friends is a person I have never met face to face, but I still felt as if I _knew _Bella. In fact, most of the time, I felt as if she knew me better than anyone else, even the people I see every day. She was definitely more interesting to correspond with than most of them.

After reading her first letter my freshman year, I immediately went to work on my reply. Unfortunately, I don't have a copy of my letter to her. I wished I had been forward thinking enough back then to make copies. It would be nice to read the whole thread. Now, fourteen years, several hundred letters, and one photograph a year later, I'm much savvier. I kept all of Bella's letters and copies of the letters I wrote in a large three-ring binder, which was getting increasingly close to capacity. We also tended to email more frequently and I kept a special folder in my email box especially for Bella's notes. I never deleted any of them.

I reluctantly closed my "Bella binder" and set it in its normal spot on my night table and laid back on my pillow.

It had been a long, hard day and I was ready for sleep. As a resident physician at Chicago Health and Science University, I worked long weeks. Twelve hour shifts, at least five days a week, sometimes six. So the few minutes I spent each night with my "Bella binder" was pretty much the only social interaction I got—aside from the flirty nurses, anyway. I still wrote to Bella as often as I could. We had a pact that we would hand write letters a minimum of once a week, and lately with such a hectic work schedule, that was all I was able to pull off. Bella was busy, too, though. She had recently graduated from law school and was working similar hours to mine as a first year associate in a prominent Seattle law firm. Her letters almost always arrived on Saturday, so I spent part of Sunday, my only guaranteed day off each week, composing the perfect reply. Since tonight was Friday, though, I only had the past letters to read through, nothing new.

Despite my exhaustion, I was unable to fall asleep. After lying silently on my pillow for ten minutes and failing to fall asleep, I turned my touch lamp back on and grabbed the binder, flipping to a more recent letter, one from about six months ago.

_Dear Edward,_

_Guess what? I graduate from law school next week! It's been so hard, but finally the payoff is coming. I'm so excited. I spend most of my spare time studying for the bar exam. I've already been offered a job at one of Seattle's most prestigious law firms, Ateara, Call, and Uley. So all I have left is making it through the graduation ceremony without tripping over my own feet and passing the bar exam. Knowing me, the graduation ceremony will be the hard part!_

_Well, gotta go study. Sorry it's so short this week, but, well…you understand._

_Bye!_

_Bella_

I did understand. Most of my letters from my early internship days had been no longer than that letter. I read several more letters—both mine and hers, the full thread—and still wasn't tired. I decided to write to Bella even though I hadn't received her letter for the week yet. I got up out of my bed and walked to the living room where my computer desk sat. I'd send an email tonight, having decided that email would be better.

_Bella,_

_Hi. I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd send a quick message. I was just reading some of your old letters. Remember the first letter you ever wrote to me? You said you felt ridiculous writing to someone you didn't know. I remember feeling the same way when my teacher gave us that assignment; it turns out to have been the one thing from public school that's stuck with me!_

_How goes the job? Are you a partner yet? Don't laugh, I know you'll want to with that question! But I'm serious. They'd be crazy not to promote you, and soon. Any new trials recently? Hearing about your exciting days in courtrooms, I sometimes think I chose the wrong career. I mean, yeah, I love treating patients, but man…being some poor guy's one shot at freedom? That's major. Much more exciting than being a resident physician working toward board certification in family medicine. _

_Well, maybe not _more_ exciting, but at least _as_ exciting. _

_I spent this week in the ER; I told you last week that I'd be there, remember? There was this little boy who came in today, he was about 3. He fell off the bunk bed playing with his older brother and cracked his skull, just behind the upper lip. He came in all bloody and swollen. It was really sad. Luckily, his CT scan came back clean; all he needed was three stitches in his lip. The skull fracture will heal on its own. He was lucky he didn't do any damage to his brain. _

_Well, I gotta go. I have to be back to the hospital in eight hours._

_Edward_

I rose from my computer chair feeling better, and more tired. I flipped all the light switches off and stumbled to my bedroom, falling onto the bed and was asleep nearly as soon as my head hit the pillow.

x-x-x

Saturday morning came earlier than I'd hoped. I woke up still exhausted. Rolling over to smack the snooze button on the, I grumbled when I remembered that I hadn't set the alarm early enough to afford that luxury today. I rolled out of bed, dragging my feet along the bedroom floor to the bathroom.

As I stood in the hot shower, I processed everything from the night before. What had it been about last night - last night in particular - that had pushed Bella so far into the forefront of my thoughts? There were plenty of girls here, girls I had met, girls I saw regularly. But Bella…I couldn't get her out of my mind.

She and I had always had an understanding; we'd agreed to keep our relationship at the pen pal level and nothing more. We were both too busy in our lives, me as a doctor, her as a lawyer, to pursue anything more serious. But she had finished law school and had a good job; I was nearing the end of my residency. Life would begin to slow down somewhat before long. Maybe it was time to actually meet her. Did I want to meet her? More importantly, would she want to meet me?

I immediately pushed that thought out of my mind. It was easy to let my mind wander when I was standing in the steamy bathroom, thinking about my beautiful, female pen pal. I'd only seen photos of her face, and she _was_ beautiful. There was no other word to describe the deep, chocolate brown eyes, flowing brown hair…I had to stop my thoughts before my brain stopped and my body took over. _You agreed, too, _I told myself._ Letters, that's it. Just letters and emails. _I sighed, wishing I had not agreed to that arrangement. It had made sense at the time, but it was making things complicated now.

I lathered and rinsed the shampoo from my hair and soap from my skin and stepped out of the shower. I dried quickly and wrapped the towel around my waist before returning to my bedroom to dress. I hurriedly threw on my traditional green scrubs and popped some freezer waffles into the toaster for breakfast. Casting a glance at the stovetop clock, I realized that I had a few spare moments, so I revived my computer from sleep mode and logged onto the internet to check my messages. Only one new message since last night, a reply from Bella. It had arrived not long after I'd sent the initial message.

_Edward,_

_Thanks for the message. I was thinking about you tonight, too. I sent my snail mail letter on Wednesday, so you should get it tomorrow if you haven't already. _

_I'd forgotten what I wrote way back then. I was only 12 years old at the time! I _did_ feel ridiculous, though. And I agree; you are the only thing that public school ever gave me that I haven't forgotten :)._

_No, I'm not a partner yet. And, yes, I did laugh when I read that. I've only been at ACU for a few months. It'll be awhile—like, years—before I even qualify for partner! Thanks for your encouragement, though. It really means a lot to me that you, who've never even actually met me, think so highly of me. Thank you._

_That poor little boy! I'm glad all his tests came back normal. Did you get to stitch him up?_

_I've got a big trial that starts next week. I'm actually only one of, like, five lawyers on our side, and as the newest member of the team, most of the research has fallen to me. That's more how I spend my days than actually in the courtroom. Don't envy me too much! I definitely spend more hours in the library than the courtroom. Anyway, this case will be the first big one I've been a part of, and since I'm so new here, I'm lucky to be on it at all. It'll be good experience._

_~Bella_

Just as I read the last sentence, the toaster popped my waffles up and I walked back to the kitchen to grab them and spread a thin layer of butter over the surface. I ate them quickly and typed out a quick reply to Bella, basically simply saying that I had received her message, but didn't have time to reply properly just yet; I'd write to her after work tonight.

One sentence caught my attention more than any other in her reply though. _I was thinking about you tonight, too. _She had been thinking about me, with no provocation or current letter. Regardless of the other things going on in her life, she was thinking about me. I left my apartment with a grin on my face.

x-x-x

My last day in the ER was a quiet one. There was too much time to think. The same thoughts I'd entertained in the shower clouded my mind all day. I'd gone fourteen years and never felt the need to meet Bella. Why now? Why couldn't I get thoughts of her out of my mind? I sighed and roughly ran my hands through my hair.

If I was going to pull this off, I knew I'd need to start slower with her. She hadn't indicated that she was anything but happy with our current arrangement. _Neither have I, for that matter, _I thought. _So, if I'm having these thoughts,_ _maybe she is too, and just doesn't want to bring it up. _I shook had to shake my head to clear my thoughts. Work was not the place to be thinking about Bella. Besides, I shouldn't be having those thoughts, anyway.

**Thanks for reading. Please review.**


	2. Ateara, Call, and Uley

**A/N: I don't own **_**Twilight**_**. However, I do own **_**Nothing Twice**_**, my original YA novel (rated T). PM me for the website if you want to read it. **

**For those receiving notifications, no this isn't a new chapter; the reason for the repost is explained at the end.**

**Longer A/N at the end; please take the time to read it; there's some good stuff in there. Thanks.**

**Chapter 2**

**Bella POV**

_Five months earlier_

It was Monday morning. I walked into the Law Offices of Ateara, Call, and Uley for my first day on the job with my knees literally shaking. I shouldn't have been nervous; I knew the law, had studied it for three years, gotten good grades on every test in every class. But I was nervous. I had only graduated three weeks before, and hadn't taken the bar exam yet. That was coming up in a month. I was allowed to work in the offices doing research for the 'established' lawyers, but couldn't take on any cases until I passed the exam.

I entered the office not knowing where to go. I stood in the reception area looking around. Was I supposed to know where my desk was already? Should I wander around looking for it? What if they'd forgotten that they'd hired me? What if they did remember, but changed their minds? _Oh, no. I bet they did. Otherwise, they surely would have made an appointment with me to show me where to go once I got here._ _Oh no, oh no, oh no_. I swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat and took a deep breath, preparing myself to turn around and walk out the door, never to come back.

"Can I help you?" a friendly male voice asked.

I looked around, flustered. When I found the source of the voice, it did nothing to help ease my nerves. The man was huge. He was at least a foot taller than me, and had the build of a football player. Or a bear. Plus he was _really_ handsome; short dark hair, deep brown eyes, strong features. I don't know how long I stood there staring at him, but at some point, he pulled me out of my reverie with a simple, "Miss?"

I blinked hard to clear my mind and met his gaze. "Oh, er, yeah. Um, I'm Isabella Swan. It's my first day."

"That explains the expression," he laughed gently. Hearing his gentle laugh, I finally relaxed. He may look big and aggressive, but like so many others with that build, he was a gentle giant. "I'm Emmett McCarty. It's nice to meet you, Isabella." He held out his hand, and I shook it carefully, focusing on not shaking. I almost succeeded.

"Please, just call me Bella," I said.

"Bella, then. I was the new hire last year. Come on, I'll show you to your desk."

I breathed a sigh of relief and followed Emmett past the reception desk, past several open doors—and even more that were closed—to a small office in the back of the building. The room was about ten by ten, with only one window and two desks facing each other. One was completely empty except for an office phone sitting on one corner; the other was obviously in use. _Great, _I thought._ Sharing an office. That's worse than a cubicle. _

Emmett spoke again. "As I'm sure you remember from your interview, ACU only hires one new lawyer a year. Last year was me, this year it's you. So, since we're," he gestured the two of us, "at the bottom of the proverbial totem pole, we get to share the office."

"Okay, great," I said, proud that my voice was steadier than my knees. If I had to share an office, I was glad it would be with Emmett. I felt strangely relaxed around him, but despite his presence, I was still pretty nervous. "Um, so, what am I supposed to do now?" I asked timidly.

He laughed again, this time a booming sound. I decided that I liked his laugh. It was so friendly and calming. "You probably need to meet with Mr. Ateara; he'll want to know that you're here. Then, if your experience is anything like mine, you'll spend most of the first month studying for your bar exam. If you don't pass, you don't stay. And since they hired you, they want you to stay."

I nodded. I remembered that from my initial interview with Quil Ateara, and hearing it now revived all of the nervousness that Emmett had erased. I could feel my knees knocking together again. What would I do if I failed? Sensing my trepidation, Emmett said, "You'll do fine, I promise. I've heard a lot about you; they're excited to have you here. From what I've heard, your grades in law school were exemplary. The bar exam is just another test. It'll be alright."

His eyes were too sincere not to believe. With another deep breath, I was calmer again. How did he do that? "I'll let Mr. Ateara know that you're here," Emmett said, picking up the phone receiver on the in-use desk and dialing a number. After a short, hushed conversation, he looked back at me and said, "Follow me."

x-x-x

Emmett had been right; after meeting Mr. Ateara again, he wanted me to focus primarily on studying. So that's what I did. I didn't think I'd be able to show my face anywhere in the city if I failed. Failure simply was not an option.

When I arrived home after that first day, there was a letter from Edward in my mailbox. Those were always the highlight of my week.

_Dear Bella,_

_How does it feel to be an employed college graduate? If I planned this right, you should get this letter when you get home from your first day on the job. You'll have to let me know how I did. I figured your first day would be a little stressful, and I thought you'd appreciate having a friendly 'voice' waiting at home to greet you._

He was right; Edward was always right. I did appreciate the letter today. He knew me as well as Alice and Rosalie; honestly, better than anyone besides them or my parents. I continued to read.

_I remember my first day at the hospital, and was glad to have your letter waiting for me when I got home that day. First days are already stressful, especially in the fields we've chosen. Hell, _every_ day is stressful in these fields. _

_But this letter is about you. Tell me about your first day; did you meet anyone nice? Helpful? Now, if I recall correctly, you don't take the bar exam until July, right? So what kinds of things will you be doing until then? Do you have an office?_

_Let me know as soon as you get this letter. _

_Edward_

I laughed out loud at all of his questions, but entered my apartment and immediately turned on my computer to reply to his letter via email so that he wouldn't have to wait.

x-x-x

The partners had scheduled me to take the bar exam the third Friday in July. I arrived at the hotel where the test was being given an hour early, to sign in and do a little last minute cramming. When the time came for the test to begin, I heard the proctor enter the room. I looked up from my books and was surprised to see that the room had filled around me while I studied. I quickly shoved my books into my bag, zipped it shut, and placed it on the floor underneath my desk.

The first part of the exam was federal law: things that were the same from state to state. I felt pretty confident in my answers. Federal law had always been one of my favorites during law school. After the two-and-a-half hour portion, there was a one hour lunch break. Upon returning to the testing room, the proctor passed out the next set of test questions. Multiple choice again, just like the federal portion from the morning. This time, though, it was the state-specific law for Washington. After five more hours of testing, it was finally over. I breathed a sigh of relief and walked to my truck.

I climbed into the driver's seat and just sat there for several minutes, reliving the experience of the day. At the time, I'd felt confident in my answers, but now that there was no going back and checking—or changing—them, I wasn't so sure. Before I could start hyperventilating, I pushed all thoughts of the exam out of my mind. _It's done now, _I thought._ Either you passed or you didn't. No point stressing any more. Besides, either way, it'll be at least two to four weeks before the results arrive, _I repeated the proctor's words.

After the trying day, I decided to go to bed early.

x-x-x

Three weeks later, I still hadn't received my results. I knew in my head that I was barely in the zone for receiving the letter, but that didn't make me any more patient. I decided to call Alice for lunch; I needed a friendly conversation.

"Hi, Bella!" came the excited greeting from Alice after I dialed her number.

"Hey, Ally. Do you have lunch plans?" I asked, cutting right to the chase.

"Not yet. You want to get together?"

"Yeah. How about noon at that outdoor taco stand right there by the store?" Alice was a buyer for Macy's. She loved her job; shopping had always been one of her favorite things to do, and now she got paid to do just that.

"Noon's great. Oh, Rosalie's calling me now. Is it okay if I invite her along?" she chirped.

"That'd be great. It's been awhile since I've seen Rose. I'll see you guys at noon."

"Okay, bye, Bella."

As soon as I hung up the phone, Emmett walked into our office.

"Hi, Bella. Did you get your exam results yet?" he asked.

He'd been asking me that question every day all week long. And every day, I'd given him the same answer. "Not yet, Emmett. When I get them, you'll be one of the first to know, I promise."

He grinned at me and recited the next line in the all-too-familiar conversation. "I'm counting on that." I didn't know exactly what he meant by that, and I hadn't asked. Then he said something that caught me off guard; it wasn't something that I had expected him to say. "Do you have lunch plans?" We never ate lunch together.

I stopped for a minute to process what I had heard. _Did he just ask me out?_ I was pretty sure that he had. _Well, answer him already. Don't leave him hanging! _"Er, actually, I'm meeting up with my friends. Keep me in mind for next time?"

"Sure, no problem. How about you reserve me a spot tomorrow?"

"Sounds great," I said, glad that he wasn't upset about it. And based on his cavalier reaction, I was pretty sure that he hadn't meant it as a _date_, simply as colleagues sharing a meal.

The rest of the morning passed without incident. I still hadn't received word that I had passed the exam so I was stuck doing research in the firm's library for the other lawyers. A few minutes before noon, I walked down to the employee parking garage and climbed into my truck. It started with a satisfying roar and I drove to the taco stand.

When I arrived at five after noon, Alice and Rosalie were already there. "Hey, guys. Sorry I'm late," I hurriedly said. "Have you ordered yet?"

"No, not yet," Rosalie told me.

"Great. I'll order. It's on me today."

"Bella, no…" Alice started, but hushed quickly with one pointed glare from me. I had invited them, it felt right to treat them.

I walked back to the tiny table and sat in the third chair. "It's been too long since we've gotten together," I said. Neither of them answered me; they knew just as well as I did that it was my fault we hadn't gotten together recently. Working in the law firm was taxing. I knew when I started law school that it would be hard, especially the first year, but it had been even worse than I expected. "I'm sorry," I said when they still hadn't said anything to my opening remarks.

"It's okay, Bella," Alice said. "We understand that your job is stressful."

"That's the funny thing, though, it's not that stressful. Not yet, anyway. Most of what I'm doing is research, but it takes a long time. I'm working, like, sixty or seventy hours a week just finding support cases for the litigators. It's exhausting, but not stressful."

"Are you doing all that work by yourself?" Rose wondered.

"No, actually, I'm working with last year's new hire. His name's Emmett, and he's awesome. Just a really great guy. We share an office, and even though he's already passed the bar exam and could be trying cases, he's helping me instead. Without his help, I'd probably be working a hundred hours a week or more."

"Is he hot?" Alice asked.

"Alice!" I exclaimed. I was glad our tacos hadn't been delivered yet; I would surely have choked had I been mid-bite.

"What?" she scoffed. "Rose wants to know, too."

I glared at Rosalie, but she just nodded in agreement with Alice, laughing at me. I rolled my eyes at them, and was relieved when the tacos arrived. Maybe they'd forget about Emmett while we ate.

Halfway through my first taco, though, I realized that that had just been wishful thinking. Of course they wouldn't forget. "Bella, you never answered my question," Alice reminded me around a mouthful of tortilla.

I sighed and answered her in a low voice. "He's attractive, sure. He's got the build of a football player, short dark hair, and dark eyes."

"Attractive is not necessarily the same as hot, Bella," Rosalie chipped in.

"I cannot believe we're having this conversation," I muttered. "He's my co-worker," I reminded them. "I don't view any of them as _hot_; they're just the guys I work with."

"Okay, if you're not going to give us a straight answer, I guess I need a more pointed question," Alice started. I grimaced. I didn't want a more pointed question, but I wasn't sure I could answer the original question to her satisfaction. "Would you sleep with him?"

This time I did choke on my taco. I hadn't expected her to be _that_ pointed; I had expected something like _Would you date him?_ Rosalie pounded me on the back and glared at Alice for me. For that, I was grateful, because I didn't think my glare would be very affective what with the tears flowing down my face. When I could breathe again, I said, "Alice, what kind of question is that? Would I _sleep_ with him?"

"Well, would you?" she pressed.

"I don't know. He's just Emmett. I don't really view him as anything besides a lawyer. He's just the guy at work," I tried to explain while dodging the question.

Alice was on to me, though. "You're avoiding the question," she accused.

"Why are you my best friend again?" I asked, only half joking.

"Bella, what's the big deal?" Rosalie chimed in. "Alice's question may have been pointed and rude, but it's simple enough. Answer," she commanded.

Rosalie was the patient sister; if she was getting annoyed with me, I decided it would be better to just get it over with. "If the opportunity ever came up, then, yeah, I guess so," I said in a rush. I could feel my face turning a brilliant shade of red as I spoke. This was really humiliating. I shoved a bite of taco into my mouth in an attempt to avoid any further conversation on Emmett. It worked this time.

The next question was worse, though. Rosalie asked, "Why was that such a hard question to answer? It's not like you should be embarrassed about it. I mean, you've been with guys since Tyler, haven't you?"

I felt the blush deepen.

"You haven't been with anyone since you and Tyler broke up _four years ago_?" Alice exclaimed.

"Say it a little louder, why don't you," I hissed. "I don't think the people across town heard you."

"Bella," Rose started.

But I cut her off. "Look, it's not that big of a deal. I've been busy. That was my senior year in college, and right after that I went off to law school. I didn't have time to date during law school. If I had spent my free time dating instead of studying, I wouldn't have been the one new hire at ACU this year. I know that doesn't sound like such a big deal to you guys, but this firm is _really_ prestigious. They only hire the best. My career had to come first."

"Yeah, but _four years_? I can't even wrap my mind around that number," Rosalie murmured.

"Look, I've gotta go. I'll call you guys later." And with that, I stood up and carried my paper plate to the garbage can on my way out the door.

x-x-x

When I got home from work that night, there was a letter from the Bar Association of the State of Washington in my mailbox. I ripped the envelope open before I even had the door unlocked.

_Dear Ms. Swan,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have passed the Bar Exam for the State of Washington. _

The letter went on to break down my score into the various parts of the test, but I wasn't that concerned with the specifics at this point. I passed! That was all that mattered. After their attack on my social life during lunch, I didn't really want to call Alice or Rose. I didn't have Emmett's personal phone number, and it was too late to call my parents. I worked much later hours than they did, and they would already be in bed by now. But I had to tell somebody, so I turned on my computer and opened the internet browser.

_Dear Edward,_

_Guess what? I PASSED! I just got the letter today, and it's too late to call anyone else. But I couldn't keep this news in. I know it's too late to hope that you'll get this message tonight, but at least I feel like I've told someone._

_~Bella_

I sighed happily and walked to the kitchen. I opened the freezer, hoping to find a microwave dinner that would be quick to heat. Luckily, there was one left. I set the timer on the microwave and went to sit on the couch. Before the food finished cooking, my computer dinged with the notification of a new email.

_Dear Bella,_

_That's fantastic! Congratulations! I wish I could be there to celebrate with you; you deserve it! Make sure you go out to celebrate tomorrow. That's an order! LOL._

_~Edward_

I sat down and pulled up the list of people available for instant messaging. After clicking on 'Edward Cullen,' I typed,

**Me**: _What are you doing up?_

The ding this time was the microwave timer. I hurried to the kitchen and pulled the McCarty plastic tray out so that the food could cool enough to eat. Then the computer dinged again.

**Edward: **_Reading. How was your day?_

How was my day? That was a loaded question if ever I heard one. I stirred the mashed potatoes thoughtfully, contemplating how to answer. Should I be truthful? Or give the standard response of 'fine'? I decided Edward deserved the truth. He was one of my best friends, after all.

**Me: **_Work-wise my day pretty uneventful. I mostly was doing research in the law library with Emmett. He's the guy I share my office with. I've told you about him, right? _

_Then at lunch, I met up with Alice and Rosalie, and it was pretty miserable. They kept bugging me about my social life. Nothing I said seemed to make them happy, so I ended up just leaving them there at the table. They were practically trying to convince me to sleep with Jake!_

Almost nine hours later, I still was having difficulty believing the conversation that had taken place over lunch.

**Edward: **_Is your social life really that slow?_

**Me: **_No_

**Edward: **_Why would they suggest that then?_

**Me: **_Okay, yes, it is. They were appalled that I haven't been with anyone since my college boyfriend four years ago._

There was a pause on the computer. Then,

**Edward: **_Four years? Really? And what do you mean "been with"? Like slept with?_

**Me: **_Not you, too…And, yes, that is their definition of "been with." There, I've said it. I haven't slept with anyone in four years._

**Edward: **_Sorry. It's just that you're so pretty. You really haven't "been" with anyone in four years?_

**Me: **_No. What about you?_

I was desperate to get this conversation pointed in another direction.

**Edward: **_Me neither._

**Me: **_Really? You're pretty attractive, too, you know. Why haven't you been with anyone?_

**Edward: **_I don't know. I guess no one's caught my eye. What with my busy schedule, it's gotta be someone really special to bother spending the time with. I don't have a lot of free time, so if I'm going to spend it with someone, it's gotta be someone worth spending it with._

I thought about that for a few minutes. I wondered if _I_ would be someone Edward would consider spending his precious free moments with. I immediately banished that thought, though. We had always agreed to keep up just the written communication.

**Edward: **_Bella? You still there?_

**Me: **_Yeah, sorry. Just thinking._

**Edward: **_Okay. Well, it really is pretty late here; I'd better get to bed._

**Me: **_Okay. Good night._

**Edward: **_Good night._

As I finished my dinner, I decided that everyone was right. I should try to have more of a social life. I made a vow to myself that I would keep my lunch date with Emmett tomorrow, and if it went well, I might even go out with him again. And if the opportunity presented itself, well, I would have something to tell Alice and Rose next time.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who's added this story to your favorites list or story alerts. We're early on in the process, and I've been pleasantly surprised with the results already! For all of you receiving notifications, sorry for the false alarm; some of my breaks didn't show up when I published, so I had to revise it; the chapter didn't flow properly without them.**

**Special thanks to my beta, GreenEyesG, you've been an awesome help in making sure things flow smoothly in the story as well as a sounding board for additional ideas/problems I have. Not to mention a fantastic encourager! Without your help and encouragement, I may not have gotten past the concept idea, so I truly thank you. If you guys haven't read her stories, you should. They're good. Find them on my favorites list.**

**Also, thanks to John Grisham, without whose book **_**The Rainmaker**_** I wouldn't know how to describe a bar exam, even in the few words I used here. **

**Next, for anyone who cares to know, remember the little boy described in Edward's email in chapter 1? That was a real life experience with my son…real life makes for some of the easiest/best drama sometimes. Although our personal drama through that experience was more intense than the letter depicted (long story short: my son's CT scan didn't come back clean…). PM me if you're interested in the RL story; it's kind of long, so I won't publish the whole thing here.**

**One last thing…**** This story is rated M for a reason. It will get increasingly lemony as the plot progresses—soon actually; chapter 3's nearly done, and it's pretty lemony. You don't have to continue reading if that will make you uncomfortable, but I felt the need to make sure you all understood what you were getting into. **

**Thanks for reading. Leave me a review; let me know what you think. And if you like what you're reading, please spread the word and tell your friends about it! Thanks.**

8


	3. A New Boyfriend

**A/N: I don't own **_**Twilight**_**. Please read **_**Nothing Twice **_**(my original YA novel; rated T) if you haven't yet, though. The link is on my profile.  
**

**Yes, there were two pretty significant typos in chapter 2… It says toward the end "I hurried to the kitchen and pulled the McCarty plastic tray out…" I want to take a moment to explain what happened there. When I first wrote that chapter, I had Emmett in the role. After some thought, I wasn't sure I wanted him there, though, so I subbed Jacob in. Then I talked to my beta (thanks G!) and decided that Emmett would indeed fill the part better, so I switched him back in. To do that, I did a "find/replace" in Word and subbed all of the "Jacob"s for "Emmett" and "Black"s for "McCarty." Well, what I didn't count on was that the program doesn't care about capitalizations when making substitutions. Thus, Bella's **_**black plastic tray**_** became a **_**McCarty plastic tray.**_** That same explanation applies to the IM session where Bella said "**_**They were practically trying to convince me to sleep with Jake!" **_**Obviously, it should have read "Emmett" (subbing "Jacob" out for "Emmett" doesn't work for "Jake"). Sorry about the errors; with the characters defined now, it shouldn't be an issue again. Thanks for understanding.**

**CHAPTER THREE**

**Bella POV**

When I walked into the office on Friday morning, the day after I received my bar exam results and had my IM session with Edward, Emmett was already waiting for me in our office. He asked that infamous question again, "Hi, Bella. Did you get your exam results yet?"

I had a different answer for him today, though. I tried my hardest to put on a faux-disappointed face; it would have been so funny to play a little prank on my office partner, but I was an open book. My mother had been telling me that for…well, for my entire life. It made me a terrible liar, and an even worse prankster. "Yes, Emmett, I did get my exam results." I desperately wanted to make him wonder about what my letter had said, but I couldn't keep the grin off my face.

"You passed?" he exclaimed.

"Yes, I passed," I gushed.

He rushed toward me and grabbed me up in an enthusiastic hug, pulling me clean off the floor and spinning both of us around in his excitement. When he set me back on my feet, I had to be careful not to fall down; he had made me just a bit dizzy with his twirling.

Once I had regained my balance, I smiled again and looked into Emmett's dark eyes. After finishing my conversation with Edward last night, I had spent a lot of time thinking, mostly about Alice and Rosalie's accusations during lunch. And they had been just that, accusations. I knew that they had my best intentions in mind when they said those things, but it didn't change the fact that they had approached the situation pretty harshly. However flawed their execution had been, their intentions had been good, though. So, I had spent over an hour thinking about ways to rectify the situation. I could think of just two…possibilities. I hated thinking of men that way, though. They should be more than just a lay. And that had always been my 'weakness', at least in Alice and Rose's view; I didn't want casual sex. I wanted a relationship. That was the real reason I hadn't been with anyone since Tyler and I broke up. What I had said to Alice and Rose had been true, but only partially: I hadn't necessarily been too busy for sex, but I had definitely been too busy for a relationship. And I knew, even back then, that I wasn't going to be the "party girl" hooking up with anything male that moved.

After much thought and consideration, the two options I was able to come up with were Edward and Emmett. And, as much as I wished it wasn't true, especially after the little IM session last night, I knew that Edward really _wasn't_ an option. Besides that silly "letters-only" pact we had made, he lived over 2000 miles away. _So, Emmett it is,_ I thought.

I glanced back up at Emmett's face; he was eying me questioningly. "You okay, Bella?" he asked.

I didn't realize how long I'd been silent, but it was apparently long enough to make him question my sanity. "I'm fine," I replied. "Just thinking some stuff over."

"Okay," he said, but he didn't look convinced. But, Emmett was Emmett, and was able to move on quickly. "So, we still on for lunch today?"

"Yes," I said resolutely, remembering my promise to myself.

Just then, the phone on my desk rang. I dropped my gaze from Emmett and turned around to pick up the receiver. "Bella Swan," I answered.

"Miss Swan, this is Mr. Ateara upstairs. Could you come to my office, please?"

"Of course, sir. I'll be right up."

"Thank you."

As I hung up the phone, Emmett looked at me knowingly. "He's like a psychic or something. He always knows exactly when the exam results arrive."

"Thank goodness I passed. I have nothing to be anxious about with _this_ meeting," I said with just a hint of smugness.

I left the office that I shared with Emmett and walked to the elevator. I rode it up three floors to the partners' floor and when I approached Mr. Ateara's secretary's desk, I said to her, "Bella Swan to see Mr. Ateara. He's expecting me."

"Of course, Miss Swan. Have a seat and I'll let him know you've arrived."

"Thank you."

The meeting with Mr. Ateara started just as Emmett had predicted. He had heard that bar exam results were supposed to arrive this week and was wondering if I had received mine yet. I was able to happily report that I had passed.

"That's fantastic news, Miss Swan," he told me.

"Thank you, sir," I replied.

"We have a big case coming up that I want you and Mr. McCarty to help us out on," he continued. I gulped. I had been an 'official' lawyer for less than twenty-four hours and was already being assigned a case? A big enough case that there would be multiple lawyers on it?

I took a deep breath and said, "Okay." It felt like a lame response, but I couldn't think of a better one.

"I want to see the two of you in the conference room on the third floor at three o'clock this afternoon. All of the lawyers on this case will be there."

"Yes, sir."

"I'll see you then," he said in dismissal.

I nodded my head and stood up to leave.

The rest of the morning passed in a blur. I remember telling Emmett that we were being assigned the new case together, along with several other lawyers, and that seemed to make him almost as nervous as it made me. I _think_ we spent the morning trying to figure out what kind of case this might be, or why we may have been assigned to it. Neither of us were able to come up with any ideas. Finally, after what seemed like days rather than hours, it was noon. "You ready for lunch?" he asked me.

"Yeah. Where do you want to go?"

"I made reservations; I hope you don't mind. Come on," he said, grabbing my hand and towing me out of our office.

_Reservations?_ I asked myself. Where were we going that he felt the need to make reservations for lunch on a Friday afternoon? I had been so caught off guard by the mention of reservations, that I didn't even process the hand-holding. It wasn't until we reached the employee parking garage that he dropped my hand, and not until he dropped it that I realized he'd been holding it. My hand felt strangely cold where his had been wrapped around mine. When the warmth left my hand, it felt like there was now something missing, or maybe it was just the air making it feel cold.

He had led me to an old, huge Jeep. I was surprised to say the least. His car was nearly as beat up as my truck. "This is your car?" I asked incredulously.

"Yeah. It's had its fair share of mechanical troubles, but nothing I can't fix myself. I thought I wanted to be a mechanic, but changed my mind part way through college. And even though it's old and beat up, I've kind of grown attached to the thing." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"Wow. Good for you," I told him. I'd never known anyone to work on their own cars. Charlie didn't even change his own oil; he and Renée were regulars at the auto shop in Forks every three months, like clockwork.

Emmett unlocked the passenger door and opened it for me. I looked up at him through my eyelashes; no guy had ever opened a car door for me before. He stood there holding his hand out; the Jeep was really tall and he was waiting to help me up. I took his hand and climbed up into the bucket seat. He shut the door behind me as I buckled the seatbelt around myself. I watched through the windshield as he walked around the front of the car and got into the driver's side.

He drove us through the city, finally pulling up in front of a little Italian bistro on the waterfront. It was a place I'd been only once or twice before; I loved the food, but it had been out of my price range, especially as a student. Frankly, I wasn't sure I could afford it today; I would be getting a pay raise soon since I'd passed the bar exam, but had been earning very little up to this point. As Emmett opened the car door for me, I said, "Er, Emmett, I'm not sure this place fits into my budget today…" I trailed off toward the end of my statement, embarrassed. I felt bad for having to bring it up, but I really couldn't afford it today.

"Don't worry about it, it's my treat today."

"You don't have to do that," I started.

"You just said you couldn't afford it," he reminded me. "Besides, I made the reservations; you didn't know we were coming here. I knew it was upscale when I made the decision, and I also know how much you make—I was you last year, remember. It's totally fine, I was planning to treat you anyway." He voice had an air of finality in it, so I didn't press the issue any further; I just followed him through the door. He gave the hostess his name and she led us to a private table for two in the corner of the restaurant. She removed the little _reserved _placard as we sat down.

We sat down and opened our menus. I couldn't believe the prices here. They seemed higher than I remembered; that may just have been because I was self-conscious about Emmett paying, though. I decided on the least expensive thing on the menu, the Mushroom Ravioli. I had just closed my menu when a friendly looking man walked up to our table and said, "Hi, I'm Mike, I'll be your server today. Can I start you with something to drink?" He placed a coaster in front of each of us as he spoke.

I was about to order just water, but Emmett spoke before I could. He ordered us each a glass of red wine. Mike said, "Very good, sir. I'll be right back with that." And he walked away.

I gaped at Emmett. "We have to go back to work this afternoon; we can't drink wine at lunch," I protested.

"It's just one glass, Bella," he said. "Not enough to get drunk. And you'll be thanking me for it while we're sitting in that meeting this afternoon."

I sighed. He was probably right. It would do me some good to be relaxed when we entered that conference room after lunch. It did, however, cement my decision on the ravioli; if he was going to be spending the money on wine, I definitely needed to keep the food cost as low as possible.

Mike returned shortly with our glasses and took our order at the same time. After he had disappeared again, I looked over at Emmett. He had placed his hands on top of the table, folded together in front of him. I mimicked his actions. We sat there in awkward silence for several minutes. It was weird; we had worked together for weeks, and never had any trouble making conversation. Now that we were somewhere besides the office, it seemed like there was nothing to say. I took a sip from my wine glass for something to do; it was quite good.

With neither of us talking, I let my thoughts wander for a few minutes. I thought back to yesterday's lunch, and Alice's question, _would you sleep with him?_ I knew that I couldn't—wouldn't—in good conscience _just_ sleep with him. I wondered if Emmett was someone I could start a relationship with, though. He was really nice, had been ever since the first time I'd walked into ACU nine weeks ago wondering where my desk was. He'd been the one who'd taken me under his wing when no one else did. He helped with me all of the heinous research work when he didn't have to. He already had his law license and could have been trying cases this whole time, but he wasn't; he spent his time with me instead. I hadn't thought much about it at the time; I'd just been grateful for the help. But now I wondered if there was a reason he'd been helping me instead. Was he trying to get to know me as more than just an office mate? Or was he just a nice guy who remembered what it had been like being the unlicensed associate that everyone else dumped their unwanted work on from last year? If the new hire had been someone other than me, would he have been as helpful to them?

"It doesn't matter," I murmured.

"I'm sorry, what?" he asked.

"Hm? Oh, nothing. I was just talking to myself," I explained, feeling the tell-tale blush creep across my face. I hadn't meant to speak aloud.

"Okay. You look really pretty today, by the way. I meant to mention it earlier."

The blush darkened in color. Even without seeing my face, I could tell. I was suddenly very hot and embarrassed. "Thank you," I said quietly as I dropped my eyes to my hands, not sure what else to say.

His hands suddenly unfolded and he reached across the table and grasped mine, threading our fingers together. I felt the heat again and kept my gaze on our interlocked fingers. His hands really were quite warm; not uncomfortable, though. I decided that, like his laugh so many weeks ago, I liked the feeling of his hands. They were strong and masculine. Somehow, in just the simple gesture of hand-holding, I could feel both the mechanic and the lawyer in him. The strong masculinity reminded me of the mechanic, the softness and lack of calluses reminded me of the lawyer who spent his days in an office instead of a garage.

Before any more words were uttered, Mike reappeared with our plates. Emmett removed his hands from mine and pulled them back across the table to make room for Mike to place the dishes in front of us, which he did without a word and then vanished again.

Still uncomfortable, we ate in silence. Without conversation, the food—and wine—disappeared quickly, and Emmett left cash on the table without even waiting for the bill. "Come on, let's go," he said gently. I stood and took the initiative this time, grabbing his right hand with my left. He looked down at me and smiled, seemingly surprised at my action. When we were back in his Jeep, he said to me, "What time is that meeting again?"

"Three o'clock," I replied, looking at my watch. It was barely one. "Why?"

"Do you have work you need to do, or can we wait till the meeting starts to go back?"

I puzzled over this question for a minute before answering. _What is his real question? _There was obviously something else he wanted to do. I didn't really have anything that had to be done before the meeting; two hours wasn't really enough time to justify starting a new round in the library, anyway. Everything I'd done recently had taken at least four. "No, I don't have to be back before the meeting," I finally said.

"Good," he said, just as he pulled into another parking lot, one I didn't recognize. He pulled the Jeep into a numbered spot and climbed out. I followed his example, still not sure exactly what was going on. We held hands again as he led me into the building and to an elevator.

All of this happened so quickly, I didn't have the opportunity to ask where we were, but in the elevator, I couldn't suppress my curiosity any longer. "Where are we?"

"This is my place; I hope you don't mind coming here," he said, suddenly unsure of his actions.

"I don't mind," I said as the elevator dinged and the doors slid apart revealing a hallway with navy blue carpet and off-white walls. He led me to a door and removed his key ring from his pocket. Finding the right key, he unlocked and opened the door. We entered his apartment and he led me immediately to the couch in the center of the living room. He sat down, pulled me onto his lap, and before I knew what was happening, his lips crashed into mine. I was shocked, but not unhappy. I hadn't realized before this moment how much I actually had missed men the past four years. I had been so focused on school that I'd learned to suppress my natural urges. But now, sitting on Emmett's lap, I couldn't stop myself.

I kissed him back, and enjoyed it. I parted my lips ever so slightly, and he took the bait, sliding his tongue into my mouth. He tasted nice, just like the wine we'd consumed over the meal. I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted this to happen, but at the same time, I knew I didn't want to stop. My hands began to loosen his red and blue striped tie, and when I had succeeded, I pulled away from his mouth just long enough to rip it up over his head. I tossed it to the floor beside us and found his lips again with my own. On their own accord, without my brain's knowledge or permission, my hands began to unbutton Emmett's white shirt. When I reached the bottom, I untucked it from his pants and found two more buttons waiting to be unfastened. As I pushed the shirt down off of his shoulders, I discovered that he was wearing a white undershirt. "Crap!" I exclaimed quietly. "Why are you wearing so many clothes?" This was getting ridiculous; first the tie, then the extra buttons hiding inside the pants, and now an undershirt?

He chuckled quietly against my lips and without removing his from mine said, "Sorry. I didn't really plan this. If I had, I would have skipped the tee today." When he was finally topless, I was breathless; not from exertion, but from the sight before me. His chest was firm, his abs flawless. He mistook my breathlessness for trepidation, though, and said, "I'm sorry, Bella. We don't have to do this. I honestly didn't mean for this to happen. That's not why I took you out to lunch."

"I know," I assured him. "I want to do this."

At my words, he regained his confidence and kissed me again, sliding his tongue along my bottom lip. I moaned at the sensation. I hadn't felt like this in a long time, and it felt _good._ It felt good to be wanted, to want someone in return.

We sat there on his sofa, kissing and moaning and touching—mostly kissing—for a long time. I never wanted to stop. Feeling Emmett's mouth move in harmony with my own was fabulous. He was a perfect gentleman, too, never pressuring me into anything more than the kissing, despite the growing erection I could feel through his pants. Panting hard, I finally pulled away and looked at my watch. "Crap!" I exclaimed for the second time that afternoon. "It's two-thirty. We need to go."

Emmett sighed heavily and dropped his head against the back of the couch. He sat that way for three seconds and then gently placed his hands on my hips, moving me slowly aside. "Okay. Give me ten minutes." And he stood up and walked out of the room.

A few seconds later, I heard his shower turn on. I chuckled quietly, wondering to myself whether he was taking a cold shower or getting off to thoughts of the past hour here with me. I hoped it was the latter.

After such a…strenuous afternoon, my panties were uncomfortably wet. I decided I'd have a better afternoon at work without them on. I rummaged around Emmett's kitchen until I found a small zipper baggie; I placed my moist undergarment in it and shoved it to the bottom of my purse.

The meeting was nearly unbearable. I was pleased to have been put on the case with the more established lawyers, but sitting in a closed room with four men, one of whom I had spent the afternoon kissing, was difficult. I had to focus extra hard on everything everyone was saying to prevent thoughts of my lunch break from taking over. Every time I snuck a glance at Emmett, I felt the corners of my mouth turn up. Every time he caught me smiling, he grinned back.

x-x-x

I drove myself home after work and when I arrived, the first thing I did was pull out a sheet of stationery and a pen from my desk drawer. I had already written one letter to Edward this week, but I felt like I could use the therapy of hand-writing another rather than just typing an email.

_Dear Edward,_

_So, I took everyone's advice today. Emmett invited me to lunch with him and I went. He took me a really upscale Italian bistro. I'd been there before, but not often, due to the price of the food. He was a complete gentleman, opening my car door and everything._

I smirked as I wrote this; he _had _been a gentleman, up until we started making out in his apartment. Although, in all fairness, he still had been polite, asking repeatedly if I was okay with the way things were progressing.

_After lunch, we went back to the office and I had to attend a meeting with Quil Ateara, Embry Call (yes, _the _Ateara and Call of ACU), Emmett, and Jacob Black (he's another partner; he's worked there for six years, I think). We're representing a doctor being sued for medical malpractice, but I've read the files numerous times, and he didn't do anything wrong. I was surprised this morning when Mr. Ateara called me into his office. I thought he was just going to ask me if I'd gotten my bar exam results. He did do that, but then before he dismissed me, he said that Emmett and I were going to be working on this case with him and the others. I was shocked. I mean, I've only had my law license for a day, and already he's assigned me to this important case._

_Well, between what I told you last night while we were IM-ing, and this letter, that's pretty much been my week. Hope yours has been good, too._

_~Bella_

Though the letter was short, my handwriting was so big and sloppy that it took up both sides of the sheet of paper. I folded it into thirds and placed it into the matching envelope and addressed it to Edward. I stuck a stamp on it and walked it outside to the mailbox. It was too late to go out today, but it would get picked up tomorrow; I didn't want to risk forgetting to mail it by waiting.

I had one more piece of business to attend to before my day was over. I pulled my cell phone out of my purse and scrolled through the contacts to the newest entry: _Emmett McCarty_. I knew in my heart, in my soul, that I had to have this conversation _before _I slept with him; and I did want that. I didn't know when, but I knew that I wanted him. A mere thirty-six hours ago, I had been scoffing at Alice and Rosalie when they asked me if I would sleep with him. Now, I couldn't imagine why it had taken me so long to see him as a man rather than just a lawyer. I wanted to be with Emmett McCarty, more than just physically. I wanted a relationship with him. I just hoped that I wouldn't chase him away with this revelation.

**A/N: I know I suggested that there would be a lemon in this chapter, and I did write one, but since Bella hasn't met Edward yet, it just didn't feel right; after talking to my beta, she and I agreed that the first take wasn't very good; it didn't feel quite right with B and Em, so I compromised and came up with this. I hope you guys liked it okay. I'll (hopefully) get to the dirtier stuff in a few chapters after Edward and Bella finally meet face to face. I think it'll flow more naturally then.**** I want to focus this story more on plot than lemons, but lemons can be fun, too, so I will try to mix them in when the plot allows… **

**Thanks for reading. And, again, please review! I know everyone says this, but it's true: reviews are great motivation for authors. Knowing that you guys are reading (and enjoying) the story really motivates to me to keep going on days I don't feel like writing.**


	4. Still Writing After All These Years

**A/N: I don't own **_**Twilight **_***sigh*. Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The **_**original**_** characters and plot are the property of me. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. **

**Remember, at this point, we are still about two and half months **_**before**_** Chapter 1; that's why some of Edward's thought processes won't be the same that they were then. **

**CHAPTER FOUR**

**Edward POV**

It had been a long time since I'd received two letters in one week from Bella. Usually if we wanted to 'talk' mid-week, we'd email.

So, I was surprised to say the least when I opened my mailbox on Tuesday night after work and saw the little pink envelope. Happy, but surprised. I read the letter once over quickly, then again with more care. _I took everyone's advice today_. I was glad she'd explained that sentence. I could barely remember conversations I'd had yesterday, much less an IM session five days ago. I was happy for Bella, that she'd taken what her friends had told her and done something about it.

I didn't have time to dwell over Bella's letter tonight, though. I had less than an hour to shower and change for dinner with my parents and brother. Jasper was in the military and was only home for ten days before he left on another tour of duty. He'd been overseas for thirteen months, and would be going for another six. After graduating from West Point Academy eight years previously, Jasper had risen through the ranks quickly and was now a lieutenant colonel at age 32.

After stepping out of the shower, I dried quickly and dressed in dark blue jeans paired with a black button-down with pale gray—almost white—pinstripes. I left the top button open and skipped the tie. Allowing myself a quick glance in the mirror, I ran my hands quickly through my towel-dried hair. I could never seem to get it to lay down flat; my bronze colored locks always looked like I'd just climbed out of bed. _Oh, well, it'll have to do._

I walked out the door and strode swiftly through the parking garage to my silver Volvo. I drove quickly but carefully through town, taking the surface streets to my parents' house. Pulling around the circular driveway, I parked in front of the detached garage. I followed the stone path up to the porch and knocked lightly as I opened the door. I was glad that my family was close enough that I didn't _have_ to knock on the door of the house I'd grown up in before entering. I did so to announce my presence out of courtesy, but knew my parents would be fine with my letting myself in.

Walking to the sitting room, I saw my mom and dad sitting together on the love seat, and my brother Jasper sitting opposite them on the full-length sofa. I grinned when I saw them. I loved my family more than anyone else on this planet. They were…perfect. There was no other word for them than that. Everyone stood at my entrance, and I approached Jasper first.

Grabbing his right hand with mine, I pulled him close and wrapped my left arm around his shoulders, squeezing him in the hug. "Good to see you, bro. I'm glad you're here," I said sincerely. Though he was four years older than me, Jasper was several inches shorter. We had similar builds, though; muscular, but not stocky. Despite all that, I knew he could take me in a scuffle if he wanted to, so I was careful to always stay on his good side. The military training had made him strong, even if his muscles didn't look any bigger than mine.

He returned the hug and the sentiment, saying, "I'm glad to be here. It's great to see you, too, Edward."

I released both his shoulders and his hand, and turned to my parents. My father was a doctor; he had been my inspiration for wanting to go to medical school. He was an emergency room doctor, though, while I was looking forward to finishing my residency and finding a permanent job in a family clinic. Carlisle loved the always changing, always challenging days of the emergency room. As a family physician, I would have to know how to handle emergencies, but not necessarily deal with them every day. To prepare for that, I would be spending a week in the ER before the end of the summer. The thing I was looking forward to the most was having a relationship with my patients. In the ER, everyone's just in and out; there's never the opportunity to get to know them. I gave my father a similar handshake/hug combination to the one I had just shared with Jasper.

"How are you, Son?" he asked.

"Great, thanks, Dad," I told him.

"Work's going well?" he continued. There were seven hospitals in Chicago; my father and I did not work at the same one. He had offered to put in a good word for me at his hospital, but I wanted to get by on my merits, not my last name.

"Work's great," I told him. "I'm finishing up a couple of weeks in the pediatric ward. I love working with the kids; it makes me more certain than ever that I've chosen the right path for me."

"That's what matters," he agreed. "Do what's best for you."

"Thanks, Dad."

I turned to my mother next. I skipped the handshake with Esme and just went straight for the hug. She was even shorter than Jasper, so I towered over her. I remember the day when I was about thirteen or fourteen and finally had grown taller than my mother. I had been so smug with that accomplishment, as if it was something I had _done_. Tonight, though, I just wrapped my hands around her slight shoulders and held her close, resting my chin on her hair. "Love you, Mom," I murmured.

"I love you, too, Edward," she told me. "Forever."

That was the kind of relationship my mother and I shared; we rarely spent time talking about things that didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, like work. We both enjoyed our jobs; Esme was an interior designer, and was really good at her job. But neither of us dwelled on what we did during the day. We talked more about things like relationships, people—the things that really mattered. Of course, my life had been devoid of anything like that recently, save for my letters to Bella. My mother was one of the few people who knew I still kept contact with my middle/high school pen pal. It was an unusual friendship, the one Bella and I shared, and I wasn't sure anyone else would understand.

Releasing my mother's shoulders, I stepped back and she sat down. My father stepped over to the drink cart before resuming his seat, and asked if I wanted anything. I hadn't noticed before that they all had drinks already. "I'll have whatever you're having," I told him. He nodded slightly and prepared the drink, then handed me the glass.

Conversation flowed naturally among the four of us until the kitchen timer sounded and my mother rose and walked out of the room. I excused myself and followed her; I had always loved helping her cook when I'd been a child. Even now, as an adult with my own place, I never passed up the opportunity to join my mother in the kitchen.

She was bent over the hot oven, lifting a large roasting pan out when I entered the room. She set it on the stovetop and put the bread in to heat. "What can I help with?" I asked, setting my glass on the counter.

"Everything's nearly done, dear," she told me. She turned so that she was facing me and leaned against the counter, opposite to the one I was leaning against. "Let's talk for a minute, though, since you're in here with me."

"Sure, Mom. What's up?"

"How have you been doing, Edward? Really?"

"I'm alright," I said hesitantly, not entirely sure where she was going with the question. I knew she wasn't asking about work.

"Just alright?"

"I'm good, Mom, honestly."

"But you're lonely, aren't you?"

"What? No."

"I can see it in your eyes, Edward. You can't hide your feelings from me; I am your mother, after all."

"I'm not hiding anything," I told her.

"Have you talked to any nice girls lately?"

I shrugged my shoulders. I was beginning to regret having followed her in here. "Just the nurses at the hospital," I said honestly.

"Any of them caught your eye?"

"No, Mom. I'm not looking for a girlfriend. I have to get through the summer before I even consider _that_."

"Okay, and what then?" she pressed.

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose between two fingers. "Mom, I promise, you will get grandchildren one day. But I'm just not in a position to think about that right now. Neither is Jasper. You need to be patient. I don't want to settle with the wrong girl just because I haven't found anyone else. When I find her, I'll know it, and I'll let you know. I promise."

That seemed to appease her. She changed the subject, slightly. "Are you still writing to Bella?"

"Yep, every week, plus email during the week when I have time."

"That's so nice that you two have kept up that relationship," she said.

"I agree. It's nice to have someone around who accepts me for myself. Plus, I don't have to make time for the relationship; I write whenever I can. Same with her."

"What's new in Bella's life?" she questioned.

I thought for a moment before answering; I tried to remember something I hadn't told my mother yet. "Well, did I tell you that she graduated law school in June?"

"I vaguely recall that. That's so fantastic. She's a smart girl, Edward."

"Yes, she is. She's working in a firm in Seattle, just a couple of hours from her parents in her hometown. She just got word last week that she passed her bar exam, so she's licensed now."

"Good for her."

I continued as if I hadn't been interrupted. "Her boss just assigned her to a case with himself and three other lawyers besides the two of them."

"What kind of case?"

"Er, I think she said they're defending a doctor accused of malpractice. I don't know the details, but she said she's reviewed the files and is confident that the guy didn't do anything wrong."

"That must be pretty exciting for her, being so newly licensed and all."

"Yeah, I bet it is." I had just one more piece of Bella news for my mother, and then hopefully the food would be done and we could rejoin Dad and Jasper and eat. "I just got a letter from her today, and it sounded like she was seeing someone." I shrugged, not entirely sure if that was the correct interpretation of her letter, but it's what I had taken from what she'd written.

It looked like my mother's face fell ever so slightly, but she recovered before I could be sure. "That's nice. I think the bread's ready," she said, abruptly changing the subject. Or maybe she wasn't being abrupt; maybe I was just reading too much into the perceived face fall. I mentally shook my head, being careful not to actually move in case Mom was watching. _Get a hold of yourself, _I thought_. She's not trying to press anything. I had a perfectly good explanation for why I'm still single. And she's even more of a stranger to Bella than I am; there's no way she was actually trying to talk me into something there. _

While she pulled the rolls apart and placed them in a large bowl, I grabbed a carving knife from the block on the counter and started slicing the meat. We finished our jobs at the same time and started carrying the food to the table.

When the table was set, we called Dad and Jasper to the table and everyone sat in the same chairs we'd sat in since Jasper and I were kids.

"Did you and Edward have a nice talk?" my father asked my mother.

"Yes, we did. He was telling me about Bella. Did you realize that he's kept up that pen pal relationship all these years?"

"Really?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah," I confirmed.

"Are you ever going to meet her?"

I paused; that was never something I'd considered before. "I don't know," I said, frowning. "I've never thought about it, I guess. We've always agreed to just keep the written communication. I've never felt the need for more, and she's never mentioned it either." I considered my brother's words some more. Why _had_ Bella and I decided not to meet? I couldn't remember now.

"Why don't you want to meet her?" Jasper continued.

"I guess I wouldn't necessarily mind meeting her at some point, but I've been busy with residency, she's been busy with law school. We decided together that it would be easier this way." I shrugged again. It felt like I was doing that a lot tonight.

After that, the talk about Bella ceased, and we moved on to talking about Jasper's military adventures. As a high ranking official, he didn't see much in the way of battle, but he was responsible for developing strategies and stuff. While our mother was proud of him for representing our country, she was always nervous about losing him one day. That fear made its way into the conversation tonight. "If all you're doing is developing battle plans, why do you have to leave?" she asked. "Can't you do that from here?"

"No, Mom. I have to be there to react to what's happening. I can't get the news even five minutes after it happens and still be able to react appropriately and quickly enough. I have to be there. You know that."

"I know," she conceded with a sigh. "I just wish you were here more. I hate not knowing if you're going to come home or not." Her eyes started to tear up at this statement. Jasper rose from his chair and walked around the table to Mom. He wrapped his arms around her shaking shoulders and whispered something in her ear. She looked up at him and said, "Thank you, dear." And that was that.

The conversation slowed a bit after that, but eventually picked back up again. After dinner and dessert, we retired to the couches again and just enjoyed each other's company for a little longer. Around ten o'clock, I had to get home and to bed; I had to work the next day. "I'll walk you out," Jasper said.

We walked to my car quietly. When we stopped at the silver car, Jasper said, "Let's get together again, just us, before I have to leave. When's good for you?"

"I have Saturday and Sunday off this week," I replied.

"Sweet. Mom's going to want to do a family thing on Sunday, so how about Saturday night?"

"Perfect. I'll see you then," I told my brother. I climbed into the car, and he turned and headed back to the house. Because Jasper would only be here a little over a week, he would be staying in his childhood room at our parents' house. I left the radio off and drove home in silence.

x-x-x

The rest of the week passed quickly and fairly uneventfully. Of course, it wasn't completely uneventful—no day in a hospital was—but no particular case caught my attention more than any other.

Saturday night, I picked Jasper up from our parents' house at eight. He was quiet as I drove through downtown Chicago before finally pulling up in front of _The Sinking, _one of the trendier clubs in town. We paid the cover charge and found a table in the back. After ordering drinks, the conversation started.

"What's up with this Bella girl?" he asked.

"Nothing."

"You sure? It's not like you guys are in a secret relationship or something?"

"Dude, what are you talking about?"

"Come on, man. You've been writing letters to her for over a decade."

"And?"

"Platonic letters?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Dude!" I exclaimed. "Yes, platonic letters." I emphasized the last two words heavily.

"That's totally boring," he told me. "What's the point?"

"Friendship," I told him. _What else would it be?_

"Friendship? How can you be _just_ friends with a girl?"

"Look, this is one relationship I've never had to think about. She's not around, so I don't have to feel guilty about working long hours. I write when I can. Sometimes we email. I don't have time for anything more right now; I have to finish up my residency at the hospital, then I'll start looking for a clinic job somewhere. After that, then maybe I can think about a girlfriend, but not now. It wouldn't be fair to the girl—regardless of who she is, Bella or otherwise. Besides, it's not like you're any different on the woman front," I pointed out.

"Yeah, but I haven't even been in the country for the past year," he defended.

"Well, you're busy, I'm busy. Things'll happen when they happen," I said, lightly shrugging my shoulders. "Plus," I added, almost as an afterthought, "she's seeing someone in Seattle." I had confirmed that she was indeed dating this Emmett guy she'd mentioned in her letter via email earlier in the week.

"Alright, if you're sure," he said, not sounding convinced. Then, as if to prove that he really did not believe that I was indeed 'sure,' he looked over my shoulder, eyeing something behind me. "How about a little wager?" he asked.

"Depends," I hedged.

"See those girls over there?" He nodded his head in the direction he had been looking; I turned just my head to look. There were two girls dancing together, grinning and laughing. They appeared to be alone, no sign of guys nearby.

"Yeah," I said.

"You take one, I'll take one. I'll bet you twenty bucks I can get one to go to a motel with before you can convince the other one to go home with you."

I looked over at the girls again. Neither was exceptionally tall, both about five-five. One had curly brown hair, the other long straight blonde hair. They were pretty, but not supermodel-esque. "Fine. But I get the brunette," I told him.

"All right!" he enthused.

"How are you going to get to said motel, though? You came with me," I reminded him.

"Cab," he replied. "Same way you're going to get home," he said, nodding to my empty glass.

"Touché," I said. "Alright, let's do this."

We rose from our table and walked confidently over to the girls. "Evening, ladies," Jasper greeted them.

They giggled and said "Hi," simultaneously.

"May I have this dance?" I asked the curly-haired girl politely, extending my hand to her.

She giggled again, looked at her friend who nodded, and said, "Sure."

I took her hand and led her to the dance floor. "My name's Edward," I told her.

"I'm Jessica, Jessica Stanley," she said. _Jessica Stanley_? That name was familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. _Oh, well._

I looked swiftly over her head while I was processing the name and saw that Jasper and his blonde were practically to second base already. I laughed quietly and rolled my eyes. I didn't actually care about the bet; in fact, I'd rather pay my brother twenty bucks than have a stranger in my bed in the morning. I kept my hands politely on Jessica's waist for the duration of the ballad, and when it was over, I released her and said, "Thank you for the dance, Jessica. Please excuse me, I need to speak with my brother."

She looked slightly bewildered, but nodded. I turned and walked away, reaching into my pocket as I approached Jasper and the blonde. "Hey, man, I'm just gonna head home," I told him, placing the bet money in his hand as I spoke.

"You sure?" he asked, not sounding as if he really cared.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Thanks for coming out tonight. I'll see you tomorrow at Mom and Dad's."

His lips were already back on the girl's but I think he said something along the lines of, "Alright, see you."

I shook my head, laughing gently as I exited the club. I'd only had the one drink, so I felt okay about driving home. I was slightly dazed, but definitely not drunk. I didn't want to have to come back in the morning for my car. I focused extra hard and made it home safely.

x-x-x

_Dear Bella,_

_My family thinks it's weird that we still write. Have you had that experience recently? My brother and mom even think we should meet. I'm not sure I disagree with them._

I paused and deleted the last two sentences of the email. There was no way I could send that to her.

_My mom was the only one who knew that I was still writing to you. Not that I've been keeping it a secret—I'm not ashamed, it just never really came up in conversation, until a few nights ago when I was at my parents' house for dinner._

_My brother Jasper was home from a military deployment, so we all had dinner together. I was talking to my mom about you while I helped her in the kitchen, and she mentioned it to everyone else during the meal. My dad didn't really say much, but Jasper was really surprised that we (you and I) were still writing without having met. Then, I went to a club with him a few nights later and he actually had the nerve to suggest that our letters perhaps weren't just platonic. Don't worry, I set him straight._

_I started applying to clinics this week. I only have a few more weeks of residency, so it's time I found a permanent job. I haven't heard back from any yet, but it hasn't been that long. I'm sure I will soon._

_Glad to hear things are going well with Emmett._

_Talk to you soon,_

_Edward_

I had taken the easy way out with my handwritten letter after clubbing with Jasper, just a simple short letter to keep up the bargain, basically saying that I would need to start applying to clinics soon and that I should have been working on my resume; it was much the same as her letters before she had received her law license: unusually short due to busy-ness. Now, almost a week after I had sent that one, I was feeling a little guilty, so I sent this email. My mother and brother's words that Tuesday night at dinner had stuck with me a bit. I did my best not to think about them, though.

Instead of dwelling on Bella, whom I knew for certain now was in a relationship, I found myself looking more closely at some of the nurses at the hospital. They were all nice, and the younger ones definitely seemed interested when I started paying attention to them. I even took a couple of them out on dates. But none of them were especially courtship-worthy. I knew I had said the right thing to my mother, that I wasn't going to choose a wife—and I knew that's what my mother really wanted from me, not just a girlfriend—based on convenience. I only wanted to get married once, so I wasn't going to settle.

**Thanks for reading, and please review! **


	5. Fortune Cookies

**A/N: I don't own **_**Twilight **_***sigh*. Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The **_**original**_** characters and plot are the property of me. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. **

**Special thanks to my beta, G, for everything :), especially returning this chapter to me within three days of getting it, and one day of returning from vacation!**

**Sorry it's been so long between chapters; I had some RL stuff going on (writers' block due to frustrating news combined with another surgery for my 3-yr-old), plus G was on vacation for a week, so considering all that, I think we did okay… I'll try to be quicker in the future; chapter 6 is in progress now. If you like what you're reading, ****please**** review, it's a great motivator! I see from my traffic page that there are tons of readers out there, so please, guys, send me a review or PM and introduce yourself! I adore hearing from my readers :). Also, I can pretty much guarantee that I won't post again before the weekend; I'll be busy what with the 3****rd**** being my birthday and the 5****th**** my husband's… So to all my American readers, have a safe and happy Independence Day! **

**CHAPTER FIVE**

**Bella POV**

Things were going great with Emmett. I was so glad I'd made that phone call so many months ago; it was by far the best move I could've made that night. He took my…news well. Though that conversation had taken place so long ago, I could still remember it and thought back to it frequently; it was, after all, a conversation that had changed my life for the better.

"_Hello?" He had answered his cell phone after only one ring. _

"_Hi, Emmett, it's Bella," I said, identifying myself._

"_I know," he replied with a hint of smugness in his voice. Of course he knew it was me._ Duh, caller ID, Bella! _I scolded myself silently._

"_Right," I said, glad this was a phone a call rather than an in-person meeting; I could feel the blush creeping up and coloring my pale face crimson already. And I wasn't even to the embarrassing part yet._

"_So, what's up?" he asked when I didn't say anything else._

Here we go_, I thought before speaking. "Um, actually, I wanted to talk to you about what happened after lunch today."_

_Now he sounded nervous. "Okay. What about it?" _

"_Just to get the record straight, I don't regret what happened. This isn't _that _kind of conversation, okay?"_

_He breathed a sigh of relief that was audible even through the phone. "Great," he said._

"_I just want to let you know that I'm not the kind of girl who is just looking for…sex. I mean, while I don't regret what we did this afternoon, it's still a little out of character for me," I explained quickly._

"_Is that all?" he asked._

"_Is that all?" I repeated, unsure what he was thinking to have garnered that response._

"_Well, that's not such a big deal, Bella," he told me. "In fact, I really respect that. And I'm not interested in trying to make you do or be something you're not." _

"_Really?" I could hardly believe his response. It was so…respectful…of me and who I was._

"_Really."_

"_Oh. Well, good," I said, grateful but frankly a little confused at how this was progressing. I had expected it to be much more difficult than this. Not that it had been easy sailing thus far, but it was going quite well, considering the sensitive nature of the conversation._

"_I just have one question about all this, though."_

Uh-oh. I knew it was going too well_, I thought, but what I said was, "Okay. Shoot." My voice was much calmer than I felt, and I was glad for that._

"_So, is it just that you don't want a one night stand? Or that you want a relationship with me?"_

"_That's two questions," I mumbled, instead of answering._

_He chuckled lightly. "Alright, fair enough. Just answer the second one, then."_

_I thought back; my brain was so muddled by Emmett that I couldn't remember the second question, even though it just been asked three seconds ago. He interpreted my silence correctly. "Do you want a relationship with me?" he repeated._

_I cleared my throat. I knew that I had initiated the phone call, but I no longer wanted to be having this conversation. "Er, yeah, I-I guess s-so," I stuttered. "I mean, I want to try…maybe?" The last part came out as a question; I knew what I wanted, but I was so afraid of telling him._

"_Really?" He was the unbelieving one this time._

_His disbelief was coated with an air of excitement, though, and that gave me my confidence back. "Yeah, I think so," I said clearly._

_There was silence on the other end of the line for what felt like an eternity. Maybe I had imagined the excitement in his 'Really?'. I hoped not, but my fear resurfaced during this silence. Finally, he spoke again. "I'd like that too."_

_I exhaled in a large gust. I was thrilled, but I forced myself to remain calm. "So where does that put us now?"_

"_Well, let's start here. Are you working tomorrow?"_

_It was Friday night, the next day was Saturday; I wasn't required to work on the weekends, but it was a good idea, especially since I had been assigned to this new case. "It'd probably be a good idea for me to put in a few hours at least," I replied._

"_Okay. I'll meet you at the office at 7. We'll work on the case till noon, and we'll have our first date after that. Sound good?"_

"_Sounds amazing," I said, finally relaxing._

"_Great. I'll see you tomorrow, then," he said. "Sweet dreams, Bella."_

"_Bye," I said quietly._

And the rest, as they say, is history.

It had been a whirlwind romance since then. Everything we did, we did together. We spent our working hours together, obviously, between sharing the "newbie" office and having been assigned Dr. Gerandy's case together. We had to be careful at work, though. There was no strict policy _against_ dating, but it was definitely frowned upon, especially if the participants in any such relationship ever allowed said relationship to interfere with their work. And I had worked my tail off to get this job; I wasn't going to let anything—not even Emmett, whom I could feel myself falling harder for each day—jeopardize it.

Outside of work, it was no holds barred. We left the office together each day, and went out together—or stayed in—most nights. I had introduced Emmett to Alice, but hadn't had the chance to get together with Rosalie again since I'd started dating Emmett. Alice was nearly as smitten with him as I was, but he assured me that he only had eyes for me. And anyway, I trusted Alice with my life; I knew that no matter what she thought of him, she'd never do anything with my boyfriend. _My boyfriend_, I thought. _He's my boyfriend. _It had been too long since I'd had one; it felt weird and wonderful at the same time to acknowledge his status in my life.

x-x-x

Emmett and I had decided to spend Christmas in Forks with my parents. Emmett's parents still lived in Tennessee, where he had grown up, and while he could have made the trip to visit them, he insisted that he wanted to meet Charlie and Renée. "Besides, I was just home for Thanksgiving," he reminded me. I remembered; no reminder was necessary. Those had been four of the longest days in recent memory.

So, here we were, making the nearly four-hour trip in my truck. Emmett had wanted to drive, but our cars got equally poor gas mileage, and I was able to convince him that we should take my truck since we were going to my hometown; I'd be able to navigate Forks that way. He agreed on the condition that I let him drive most of the way there, since I'd probably be driving us around town during our stay. That seemed like a reasonable compromise to me, so he was driving my truck out of the city limits of Seattle.

I was nervous about this trip; I had never introduced my parents to any of my boyfriends. In high school, I had been your typical awkward, clumsy teenager; not exactly on the top of the popularity ladder. A parent's dream, though; I never had any reason to sneak out at night and didn't attend unruly parties. Now, as a grown woman introducing them to her first "real" boyfriend, I wasn't sure what their reaction would be. They had trusted me in high school, and I had rewarded their trust by not breaking it. College was another story, though. I had attended college in Seattle—for both my undergraduate degree and law school—and loved the city so much that when I was applying for jobs, I never considered looking anywhere else. I loved the hustle and bustle of the big city, and the fact that I was close enough to visit my parents when I wanted to, but far enough away that they didn't expect me home every weekend.

I had spent my four years of undergraduate study living the typical college experience. I went to the parties, drank, worked, had a relationship, and still somehow managed to get adequate enough grades to get into law school. I knew law school would be a different story than 'regular' college had been, though, so after graduation, I broke it off with Tyler—my only serious boyfriend up to that point, and he hadn't even been serious enough to have been introduced to my parents—and decided to focus extra hard on my studies. No distractions this time. Whereas my undergrad grades had gotten me into law school, they were nothing to be proud of. I wasn't going to make the same mistake in my post graduate studies.

And it had paid off. I couldn't imagine where I'd be if I hadn't made that decision three and a half years ago. Would I be driving to Forks next to Tyler instead of Emmett? I shuddered at the thought; there was nothing wrong with Tyler, but I couldn't imagine my life without Emmett now.

"Are you alright, babe?" he asked, noticing my shudder. Of course he noticed my shudder; I was cuddled into his right side as he drove.

"Yeah, just thinking," I replied.

"Care to share?"

"It's nothing, really. Just remembering my undergrad days, and wondering where I'd be now if I hadn't made the decision to focus more on studying than on…other stuff," I told him.

"Hmmm," he hummed in response. "Well, I for one am glad you made whatever changes you did; without those decisions, I wouldn't be here right now."

"I know," I told him. "In fact, thinking about the possibility of you _not_ being here right now was what caused the shudder." I peeked up at him through my eyelashes, and his only response was to grin and wrap his arm tighter around me.

When we pulled into Forks around dinnertime, I guided him through the streets of my small hometown to the house I had grown up in. "It's not much, but it's home," I told him, gesturing the simple, two-story house as we climbed out of the truck.

He reached behind the seat and grabbed both my bag and his, and said, "It's fabulous."

I laughed. "You haven't seen the inside yet," I reminded him.

But then my mom and dad appeared on the front steps and I temporarily forgot about the man on my arm. I rushed forward and hugged both of my parents simultaneously. We exchanged the standard "I've missed you's" and other such pleasantries before my father, the practical, level-headed one of the pair, said, "Well, Bella, are you going to introduce us to your guest?"

I had already told them that I was going to be bringing Emmett, of course, so they weren't surprised by his presence. Regardless of that fact, though, introductions were still in order. I looked over my shoulder and saw Emmett leaning against the truck, not looking nervous at all; he exuded confidence. With everyone here, I wasn't nervous anymore, either. I was confident in my choice in Emmett, and wondered why I had been even the tiniest bit nervous about introducing him to my parents. I gestured him forward, and he complied, joining us at the front door.

"Mom, Dad, this is Emmett McCarty, my boyfriend. Emmett, this is my mom Renée and my dad Charlie." I gestured between the three of them, feeling a little ridiculous; it was obvious who everyone was, even if they'd never met. No one else seemed to share that feeling, though.

My mother extended her hand and said, "It's nice to meet you, Emmett. Bella's said nothing but good things about you."

He shook her hand gently; I could see the just the tiniest struggle in his forearm as he focused on not hurting her in his iron grip. "Thank you, Mrs. Swan," he said formally.

"Please, just Renée," she corrected him.

"Renée," he repeated, smiling and nodding his head.

Then he turned to my father, and offered his hand before Charlie could. "Chief Swan, it's a pleasure," Emmett said.

Charlie wasn't quite as open as Renée. He didn't correct Emmett by allowing him to use his first name. "Likewise, Emmett," he said as they gripped hands and shook once.

"Well, come in, come in," my mom said after the initial pleasantries. "It's freezing out here."

After dinner with my parents, I led Emmett up to my bedroom. It was only a two bedroom house; my parents' and mine. The only change that had ever been made as I was growing was the size of the bed. There was a crib when I was a baby and then the twin mattress I'd had until I left for college. Now, a double mattress filled most of the space; the room was too small for a queen. I had asked my parents to purchase that one when I let them know that Emmett would be joining us for Christmas. They had been skeptical, perhaps even disappointed in the implication of that request, but they were realists, so they complied.

We entered the room carrying our bags and I closed the door behind us. Emmett looked behind me at the doorknob and said, "What, no lock?"

I gasped at such a blunt statement. "We are _not_ having sex in my parents' house!" I hissed at him. It wasn't like we hadn't been sleeping together this whole time; once we had actually begun the relationship, I was comfortable getting more physical. It was good too, and I wasn't particularly excited about abstaining during our visit, but I wasn't the quietest girl ever while having sex. Especially with Emmett. He was amazing and I had a hard time keeping my voice down. And that—the noise I was sure to make—was not a risk I was willing to take with my parents a mere fifty feet away.

"You're kidding me," he said.

"No, I'm not," I replied.

"You expect me to get by for an entire week without being with you?" he said, grabbing me by the waist and pulling me in for a hug, rubbing his jeans against mine in a clear indication of exactly what we—I—would be missing.

"I'm sorry, baby," I told him earnestly. I thought I'd told him that the _sleep _we'd be doing in my old bedroom would be nothing more than that. We'd be 'sleeping together' in the literal sense of the phrase, not the more common usage it had come to have.

He just sighed, resigned that I wouldn't be backing down on this point. Having felt him through my jeans, though, I was already beginning to second guess my decision. _I wonder if Mom and Dad will be gone for any length of time on this trip,_ I wondered. I didn't want him to think I was totally turning him down, so I voiced this possibility. "Listen, Em, if we get any time alone here, we'll do it; I promise. I just don't want to get carried away with my parents in the next room. You understand, right?"

"You promise?"

"Yeah, I promise."

"Alright then." He seemed a little happier.

The trip passed in relative ease. Emmett got along wonderfully with my parents; even though Charlie hadn't backed down on the 'Chief Swan' nonsense, I could tell he was pretty fond of Emmett. In fact, two days before the holiday, the four of us went shopping in Port Angeles, and while I walked the mall with my mom, Emmett and Charlie went together. I was pleasantly surprised. I was even happier when we reconvened for lunch at the food court and neither of them had killed the other. They actually looked content, like they were sharing a secret or something. My dad just kept looking at me like he was about to cry or something. It was weird; Charlie was never very emotional, but after that shopping trip, he could barely talk to me.

We celebrated a traditional Christmas, waiting until Christmas morning to open packages, then eating cinnamon rolls for breakfast and I helped my mom cook a ham dinner with all the fixings. The day after, Emmett and I had to go back to the city. I hugged my mom and kissed my dad on the cheek; he was still acting odd around me, and I whispered in his ear as we embraced, "Is everything all right, Dad? You've been acting weird ever since we went to the mall."

"Everything's great, Bells. I promise. Emmett seems like a good man; hang on to him."

"He is, yeah. Thanks, Dad. I love you."

"I love you, too, sweetheart."

And with that, we climbed into the truck and Emmett drove us back to Seattle.

x-x-x

February was a long month, and it was only half over. I knew it was Valentine's Day, but I was too tired to care as we finished up at the office. It was late, even for us, and most of the restaurants were already closed for the night. I couldn't remember any that were open this late—although that may have just been due to my extreme tiredness—but before I could mention anything about it to Emmett, he grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the office. "Let's go," he said, leading me to his Jeep. We spent most nights together, alternating between our apartments, and so rode into work together every day. I climbed into his huge monstrosity of a vehicle and buckled up, expecting to go back to his place for a microwave dinner and sleep. I was even too tired tonight for sex.

"Where are we going?" I asked when he drove by his apartment complex.

"I've got a surprise for you," he said discreetly.

"Oh," I said, leaning my head back and closing my eyes.

"Hey, don't fall asleep on me," he teased, and I pried my eyelids open.

"Sorry. It's just been a really long day. I'm sure you remember it," I told him, smiling.

"I do, but tonight's important. Go ahead and rest for a minute if you need to; I want you alert when we get there."

"And where exactly is _there_?" I asked.

"Dinner."

"We're going out? This late at night?" I complained. I really was quite tired, and just wanted to lie down.

"Yes. Please, babe, rest for a minute. I'll let you know when we get there."

I closed my eyes again and contemplated the short conversation we had just had. Why was he insisting on going out this late? It didn't take long before all the thoughts left my mind, though, and I had fallen asleep for real this time. Just minutes later, Emmett was opening the door of the Jeep; the cold night air rushed over my face, reviving me. "We're here," he whispered gently. I opened my eyes reluctantly, looking around, trying to recognize something, anything. We appeared to be down on the waterfront, and the sign naming the restaurant was in red and yellow. Chinese.

"We're eating Chinese? Why couldn't we have ordered it in?" I whined.

"Bella, please," he said. "It really is better this way tonight. Trust me."

I sighed, and leaned against Emmett's side, allowing him to support most of my weight as he led me into the dim restaurant. The hostess led us to a small booth and we ordered combination plates a few minutes later when the waitress arrived. Emmett excused himself to use the restroom while we waited for the food to arrive. I stared at the Zodiac placemat on the table in front of me, not really seeing it. Emmett and the waitress arrived back at our booth at the same time, and when the waitress left, we began eating. I hadn't realized through my exhaustion just how hungry I was. I ate all of my food quickly, not leaving any leftovers. I smiled and sighed in contentment. The waitress reappeared carrying the little black tray with the bill and two fortune cookies. "Mmmm, the best part of the Chinese dining experience," I said happily, taking one of the cookies.

I glanced up at Emmett as I broke the cookie open. He was watching me carefully. "What?" I asked self-consciously.

"Nothing, nothing," he said. "Good fortune?" He nodded at my cookie.

I dropped my eyes from his face and pulled the little slip of paper out of the cookie. When I read the words written there, I gasped, and looked up at him again. He wasn't in his seat anymore, though. He was kneeling on the floor beside me, holding a black velvet box open for me to see. I looked at the fortune again, the cookie forgotten. _I love you Bella Swan. Will you marry me? _Tears filled my eyes; I was stunned. I didn't know what to do, what to say. I looked at Emmett's face again, now level with mine since he wasn't seated in the booth anymore. He looked expectant, and I realized that I hadn't answered yet.

"Yes!" I exclaimed.

"Yes?"

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!"

He stood and pulled me into a bear hug, spinning me around right there in the restaurant. Then he sat me back down in my seat and placed the ring delicately on my finger. Tears streamed down my face as I looked at my left hand; I'd thought I'd been blissfully happy with Emmett as my boyfriend. Now, though, I realized that I'd just been content before; now I was truly happy, full of joy.

x-x-x

**Edward POV**

_Dear Edward,_

_You'll never guess what happened last week! Emmett proposed! It was one of the most romantic nights of my life. We had been out to dinner, even though I was whiny the entire way to the restaurant. I was tired after a long day at work and just wanted to go to sleep, but he insisted on going out anyway. We went for Chinese, and guess how he did it? He somehow got a personalized fortune inside the fortune cookie. I was floored; I still don't know how he managed that._

_Anyway, I was thinking about that little taboo topic we've been dancing around for a few weeks now. You know, whether we should meet. I think I've decided, that if you want to, too, I'd love to meet you. And I know the perfect time. Emmett and I are getting married this summer, June 19__th__, and I want you to come. I know it's kind of close, so I understand if you can't get tickets out to Seattle by then, but I'd really love it if you were able to come. Your brother's going to be back from deployment then, right? Bring him, too. From what I've heard of him from you, he'd get along fabulously with my friend Alice. _

_Well, that's all. I just wanted to share my news with you and get you an early invite to the wedding, so that you have as much time as possible to plan. I'll send you an official invitation with the rest in a few weeks._

_~Bella_

I was stunned when I opened the little pink envelope and read _that_. I shouldn't have been; I knew Bella had been dating Emmett for quite some time, had even taken him home to meet her parents over Christmas. I couldn't help being just a little jealous, though. I had been thinking of no one but Bella for months.

I had been hired at a family clinic in downtown Chicago upon completing my residency at CHSU, and had 'normal' hours now. I was working 7 am to 6 pm, rather than the round the clock hours I had run at the hospital. And that left a lot of time for thinking. It was stupid of me to think of Bella in that way; I hadn't met her. But meeting her was my one and only desire over the last several months. I just wished it was some other situation providing the opportunity.

_Damn it! Why didn't I insist on a more substantial relationship a long time ago?_ I cursed myself. Well, it was too late now, and if this was where she wanted to meet me, I wouldn't miss it for anything.

I opened my internet browser and typed a quick reply to her hand written letter.

_Bella,_

_I wouldn't miss your wedding for the world. _

_~Edward_

**A/N: Thanks for reading, please review!**


	6. Changing the Agreement

**A/N: I don't own **_**Twilight **_***sigh*. Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The **_**original**_** characters and plot are the property of me. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. **

**As always, special thanks to my beta, G, for everything :).**

**And thanks to you, for reading. And reviewing. Don't forget reviewing! But seriously, thank you for reading, even if you don't review. **

**CHAPTER SIX**

**Edward POV**

I was at a loss as to how to proceed. I had promised Bella that I'd attend her wedding, and I would, but honestly, I didn't want to. I wanted her to be mine, not Emmett's. It was going to kill me to see her walk down the aisle with him waiting for her instead of me.

I didn't even know the guy, and I hated him. Hated him for no reason other than that he had what I wanted. And it was my own fault I didn't have her. I hadn't even realized that she was what I wanted until recently. That was the worst part. But I had come to the conclusion—after numerous dates and a few nights at the club—that _Bella_ was what I wanted. No one else came close. And all I knew of her was photographs and written word. I'd never even heard her voice. But now, thanks to that pact I had agreed to ten years ago, Bella was no longer an option. Every time I thought about the letter she'd sent me letting me know of her engagement, I couldn't help but mutter curse words under my breath. It was childish and petty, but I still couldn't control the reaction, no matter how hard I tried.

Once I realized how much I wanted Bella, I'd written way more letters than I sent. I skipped all those that said things like _I wish we'd ignored the pact a long time ago_ or _I wish we'd never made the pact in the first place _or _I desperately want you in my life. For real, not just as a pen pal anymore._ And the one that popped up more often than any others: _Don't marry him, be with __me__. Give __me__ a chance._ Those letters were more of a journal for me than actual letters I intended to send to Bella.

I hadn't told anyone of my not so recent desires and recent frustrations. It was killing me inside, but I still wasn't comfortable sharing.

My cell phone rang just then, pulling me out of my depression. "Hey, Jazz," I greeted, recognizing his phone number.

"Edward, hi. I'm glad I caught you. Listen, are you available to pick me up? I'm at La Guardia now; I'll need a ride from O'Hare in a few hours."

"Yeah, of course. I have to work 'til six, though. Is that going to be a problem?"

"No, that's perfect. I land at 7:14 or something stupid like that."

"Awesome. I'll see you tonight."

"Thanks, bro. See you tonight." And with that, the call disconnected.

I went through the rest of the workday half dazed. I knew I saw patients, but by the end of the night, I couldn't tell you exactly who I'd seen. Most of them just had the common cold. One kid had an ear infection, but nothing major. After finishing up with the last patient at a few minutes after six, I hurried through the lobby on the way down to the employee parking lot. I practically jumped into the Volvo and hurried to the airport. I arrived about twenty minutes before Jasper's flight was scheduled to land. Looking up at the arrivals board, I was glad traffic hadn't been worse. It had been pretty bad, but I'd made it, and just in time; his flight was running ten minutes early.

I found the right terminal, and since the regulations didn't allow for me to wait right at the gate, I found a coffee shop nearby. I ordered a cup of decaf and sat at a table that allowed a clear view of Jasper's terminal. At five after seven, I saw the plane taxiing the runway. Just a few minutes after that, the passengers starting flooding through the doorway. I kept an eye out and spotted my brother's messy blond hair and army fatigues easily. I rose from my table, tossed my paper coffee cup in the garbage can on my way out of the café, and met him with a hug as he approached me.

"Thanks for coming," he said.

"Of course. Like I would leave my only brother stranded at the airport." We walked together to baggage claim and retrieved Jasper's green Army-issue duffle.

Nothing else was said as we walked to the short term parking garage. Once we were in the car, though, Jasper let loose. "What's going on, Edward?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing, really. Why?" I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"I know you're not always the most verbose man in the world, but you're being especially quiet, even for you. What's up? You can talk to me."

"I know I can," I said. I just wasn't sure I wanted to. I'd been thinking about Bella again, and I didn't know how he would react to that.

"Seriously, you gotta talk to me. I won't be able to stand the silence all the way to Mom and Dad's."

I sighed. He was right. It wouldn't be fair to him to give him the cold shoulder the whole way, however unintentional it may be. "Bella's getting married."

"You're kidding!"

"No. Remember the last time you were home, I told you she was seeing someone?"

He was quiet for a moment, thinking. "So, what does that mean for you?"

"Nothing, really. She's a friend, she's getting married. It's no different than any other friend getting married," I lied.

Jasper looked at me through narrowed eyes. "I don't believe you when you say it's no different. There's something about you when you say that. Like you don't believe it yourself."

"That's because I don't," I muttered.

Jasper changed the subject. "Have you gone out at all since the last time I was here?"

"Yeah, sure. I've gone out."

"A lot?"

"No, not a lot, but I'm busy. I've gone out a few times, though."

"By yourself or on dates?"

"Both."

"Anyone special?"

"No."

"Is that because none of them have actually been special, or because you've spent the whole time thinking about Bella?" Well, I'd _thought_ he'd changed the subject.

I didn't answer.

"Listen, Edward, I'm not trying to get on your case. I'm just trying to figure out what's going on here. You deserve to be happy. If Bella's who you want, then maybe you should go after her. I don't know, though, maybe you just need to keep looking."

"How long are you home for this time?" I asked instead of responding to his little monologue.

"Until September as far as I know. Of course that could always change in the Army, but I don't expect it to," he said.

"How would feel about a weekend trip in June?"

"To where?" he asked hesitantly.

"Seattle. I promised Bella I'd be there for the wedding, and she said she's got a friend she wants you to meet."

"Really? You're going to her wedding?"

"Yes. And I want you to come with me."

"Alright, sure. I'll go."

The rest of the ride was spent talking about inconsequential things. At least, they were inconsequential to me. I'm sure Jasper was desperately interested in what Mom and Dad had been up to during his most recent time away, and whether there had been anything newsworthy that hadn't made it to him overseas. I did my best to answer his questions, but we both knew I wasn't really paying attention anymore.

When I pulled up in front our parents' house, I'd made a decision. I dropped Jasper off and asked him to extend apologies to our parents for me for not coming in to visit. There was something I had to do tonight.

x-x-x

_Should I really do this right now?_ I wasn't sure of the answer to that question. Whether I should or shouldn't, though, I wanted to. Regardless of whether or not it was _right_, I knew it was something I had to do. Sitting in my computer chair, I opened my email box. Nothing new from Bella. I clicked on the list of contacts online at the moment. No Bella there, either. _Compose_, I clicked.

_Bella,_

_There's one thing I want to do before I come to Seattle to meet you. When are you available for instant chat? Let me know, I'll make sure I'm available, too._

_Edward_

There was really nothing more to do regarding the issue tonight. I couldn't help but keep clicking on the 'check mail' button every few minutes anyway. After an hour and still no response, I decided to go to bed early.

Upon waking after a deep, dreamless sleep, I stayed in bed for a few minutes, remembering what I had done the night before. I was nervous about my plan. Not nervous enough to be having second thoughts, however. I was more certain about this plan than about anything else in my life recently. I _had_ to do this—it didn't feel like a choice. But I was still nervous about how Bella might react. I checked my email again before taking my morning shower. I couldn't believe that she still hadn't replied. It was unusual to go this long without a reply from her. That was the great thing about email, the instant gratification factor.

I checked it again before leaving for work, and was once again disappointed. I sighed heavily as I left my apartment, convinced that I wouldn't be able to focus at all today. I was right. Between patients, every time, I hurried back to my office under the guise of preparing for the next one, but in reality I locked the door and checked my messages again.

Finally, around ten in the morning, I received what I had been waiting for.

_Edward,_

_Is everything okay? Your message seemed kind of urgent. I have to work till around 7 or 8 my time (it varies from day to day, so it'll depend on how much work comes up this afternoon), so let's shoot for 8:30 tonight, PST. That way I'm sure to be done. Is this going to be some kind of secret, private thing? Should I be alone? Can you give me a clue as to what this is about, so I can prepare myself? Should I be worried? Sorry for all the questions, but you were a little vague in your message. _

_~Bella_

10:30 was kind of late considering my early mornings, but this was important. I immediately clicked 'respond' and wrote to Bella letting her know that that would be fine, that alone would be preferable but not required, and that no, I was not prepared to offer any clues. Not yet.

I breezed through the rest of the day, looking forward to the evening. I left the office at six fifteen, and ate out. I didn't particularly want to go home yet. I had no real reason to be there for another four hours, so I took my time eating and when I finished, left a nice tip for the overzealous waitress. I noticed her advances, but with what I had planned waiting for me at home, easily ignored them.

It was eight o'clock when I left the restaurant. Still earlier than I wanted to be home yet, so I went to the grocery store, intending to do my weekly shopping. I couldn't remember what I had left in my cupboards, though, so I quickly gave up on that, just buying a bunch of bananas and a dozen eggs for the rest of the week's breakfasts. After that, I couldn't think of any other mindless errands. Besides, even the menial tasks I had set upon myself in an attempt to avoid thinking about what was to come hadn't cleared my mind at all. I spent every minute that I was out processing my plan. And I could do that just as easily at home as I could while driving all over the city.

By the time I let myself in the front door of my apartment, I had only one more hour until my scheduled 'meeting' time with Bella. I turned on the TV and didn't watch it. Finally, after what had seemed like the longest night of my life, it was time. I went over to my computer and logged into my email account. Before I had the opportunity to find out whether Bella was online yet, the instant messaging box popped up.

**Bella: **_Hey there, handsome ;)_

**Me: **_Hey. Thanks for meeting with me._

**Bella: **_No problem. And I'm alone, as you requested. Emmett wasn't thrilled, but he'll survive one night without me. So what did you want to talk about?_

I bristled at the mention of Emmett. Glad that we were still just typing rather than doing what I was about to ask her to do, I took a few seconds to calm myself before continuing.

**Me: **_Exactly that. Talking._

**Bella: **_I don't understand. You want to chat about our chatting? We're doing that right now; what is there to chat about regarding this?_

**Me: **_I don't want to chat. I want to __talk__._

I hoped she'd get the difference. There was a pause on the computer then,

**Bella: **_What do you mean 'talk'?_

Okay, I guess she didn't understand. Or else she was just pretending to be oblivious. I'd have to spell it out more clearly.

**Me: **_I want to hear your voice._

**Bella: **_Hear my voice? _

**Me: **_Yes. Here's my phone number. Will you call me?_

There was no other response. I sat in front of my computer, hands sweating, suddenly worried that I'd gone too far. All I could hear was the rushing of blood through my ears, the pounding of my pulse almost mocking me. _Thump thump-thump thump. She will-not call. She will-not call._

But then, as if in defiance to my heartbeat, my phone began to vibrate, falling off the desk before I could pull myself together enough to grab it and press the talk button.

"Hello?" My voice was just the tiniest bit shaky.

"Edward?"

x-x-x

**Bella POV**

**Edward: **_Yes. Here's my phone number. Will you call me?_

Was he serious? This was absolutely new, and I had no idea how to respond. I picked up my purse from the floor and rifled through it, searching for my phone. I understood now why he'd wanted me alone for this conversation. Because it was going to be our first _real_ conversation. My heart was beating erratically in my chest. I could feel each pulse. I looked down, half expecting to see it physically beating out of my chest like a cartoon character. It wasn't, of course.

I typed in the ten digits listed on my computer screen, then waited several minutes. I got up from my chair and walked to the kitchen, filling a glass halfway with tap water. I gulped it all down and went back to the living room, plopping down on the couch. I closed my eyes, wondering whether this was a good idea. But then I realized that we were going to be meeting soon—in less than three months—anyway, so what the hell? It couldn't hurt anything. I took another deep breath and pressed the little green phone icon. I immediately lost my nerve, pressing the red phone before it rang even one time. I went to the recent calls list and instead of calling Edward's number again, I selected the 'save' feature. After typing in his name along with the number I'd just called, I realized that if I wasn't going to call him, I needed to at least go back to the computer and let him know that I wasn't going to call him. I wasn't prepared to do that, though. I sat there, thinking, for several more minutes. I returned to my recent calls list again and this time pressed 'send' again, vowing that I would not hang up this time.

It rang four times. Just when I was expecting the voicemail to pick up, I heard something else instead. "Hello?"

Another deep breath. _Relax Bella. You can do this. It's just a phone conversation. _"Edward?"

"Bella?"

"Yeah. Hi."

"Hi."

His voice was beautiful. There was no other word to describe it. Where Emmett's voice was a typical tough guy voice, Edward was calm. Just as masculine, but in a different kind of way. Angelic, perhaps.

I had no idea what to say, so I just sat there on the couch, listening. Edward didn't seem to know what to say, either. He was silent for several minutes, too. I got up and started walking around my apartment. I wandered through the kitchen, back through the living room, down the short hallway, into my bedroom. "Ouch!"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just stubbed my toe on the bed. Normal Bella behavior," I chuckled.

"Alright."

Those few sentences seemed to be enough to get the ball rolling. I spoke again. "So, this is different."

"Yeah. Sorry to have had you worried about it all day. I just wasn't sure exactly how I was going to go about this. Or what I'd say once I was able to hear you."

"I wasn't worried."

"Oh." Shoot_. Now I sound like I don't care about him._

"I mean, not that I wasn't wondering what you were thinking, I was. It's just worried isn't exactly the right word."

"I understand."

"So was there something specific you wanted to talk about once you had me on the phone?" I sat on the bed, hoping to avoid any further injury, at least for the rest of the conversation. I stared down at my engagement ring, listening to Edward.

"Not really. I guess I kind of just wanted to get some sort of…I don't know," he trailed off.

"No, I understand. I'm glad you did this. I wish I'd thought of talking to you on the phone ages ago."

"Really?"

"Yeah. This is nice. I mean, I've seen you, obviously, since we exchange photos, but it's nice to hear your voice. It matches your picture perfectly, by the way."

He chuckled gently. "Thanks."

"I wish I knew what else to say," I said quietly.

"Me, too," he agreed. "I coerced you into calling me, then I don't even have anything to say."

It was my turn to laugh. "You didn't coerce me. I was glad to make the call. It just took me so long because I was caught off guard."

"Fair enough. It's true that I didn't give you any indication of what I was thinking."

"No, you didn't."

"Well, coerced or not, thank you for agreeing to call me. I wish I could talk longer, but it's two hours later here, and I need to get to bed. I've got to work in the morning."

"Okay. Thank you again for suggesting this."

"You're welcome." His response sounded almost like a question.

"Edward?" I had a sudden thought, and I wanted to ask my question before we hung up.

"Yes?"

"Could we talk again sometime? I mean, on the phone, like this? I rather like this connection; it's more personal than letters or email."

"I'd like that."

"Okay. I'll call you sometime, then."

"That sounds great. Good night, Bella."

"Good night." I snapped my phone shut and lay back against my pillow. What an unusual development in our relationship. I was strangely reminded of the night Emmett had proposed to me. I'd thought I'd been perfectly happy in that relationship until it had progressed to the next level. I felt exactly the same way in my friendship with Edward now. I'd thought everything had been perfect. Now that I'd heard his voice, I wanted to hear it again. And suddenly, June nineteenth couldn't come fast enough.

**A/N: So there we go, chapter 6. It was a little shorter than the past few chapters have been, but I hope you liked it just the same. Chapter 7's done and G's got it already and it's the longest one I've ever written, so hopefully that'll make up for this one :). Hopefully I'll be able to post more regularly from here on out; I'm shooting for a minimum of once a week. I hope to have 7 up by the end of the weekend, so we'll see *crosses fingers*.  
**

**We're getting closer and closer to the face to face meeting, it'll probably happen in two or three chapters. I'm kind of a 'fly by the seat of my pants' kind of writer, I get an overarching story idea, but I don't necessarily know exactly what will happen in a particular chapter until I sit down to write it, so I don't know for sure when the meeting will happen (chapter-wise anyway; story-wise I know **_**exactly**_** where we'll be) or precisely how the characters will react. **

**Please review, let me know what you think—what I'm doing right, suggestions, etc. Thanks in advance.**

**Also, if you're looking for something to read (and aren't offended by lemons or language) here's what I'm reading now: **_**Confessions of a Nanny**_** by Melissa228; **_**Military Academy**_** by Charlotte-xoxo; **_**Late Night Encounters**_** by kyla713; and **_**Last Tango in Forks **_**by AwesomeSauce76. Check out the wonderful work these ladies are putting out, too. Also, for a lemon-less story, check out Jen's (Dansgurl23) story, **_**Living a Nightmare. **_**I beta for her.**

**~Wendy**


	7. The Beginning of the End

**A/N: Just the normal stuff this time: **

**I don't own **_**Twilight **_***sigh*. **

**Special thanks to my beta, G, for everything :).**

**And thanks to you, for reading. And reviewing, don't forget reviewing! But seriously, thank you for reading, even if you don't review. **

**CHAPTER 7**

**Bella POV**

When I dreamt that night, I was walking along the beach. It wasn't a beach I recognized, just beige-white sand as far as the eye could see, and the ocean—I assumed the Pacific, since that was the only ocean I had any familiarity with. The day was adequately warm, and I could feel a strong, warm hand wrapped around my right hand. I looked over and saw Emmett there, of course. I smiled up at him and he gazed lovingly back at me. There was something else, though. Something that was not warm and soft like Emmett's hand. I looked at my left hand, and saw my phone clutched there. I was puzzled. I didn't know why I was holding my phone on the beach. For one thing, I risked getting sand in it and ruining it. For another, who would I need to talk to right now? My reason for living was holding my hand.

Then the phone rang. _Odd._ I looked down vaguely recognized the number, though I couldn't place it. "Sorry," I murmured to Emmett as I placed the phone to my ear. "Hello?"

"Bella? It's Edward."

I couldn't stop the grin from spreading over my face. "Hi," I said.

_Who is it? _Emmett mouthed at me.

_Edward, _I mouthed back.

I couldn't read his expression. It could have been a scowl, but he didn't look angry. Annoyed, perhaps?

"What are you doing?" Edward asked through the phone.

"Nothing much, just walking on the beach with Emmett."

"Oh." His voice matched Emmett's expression. He was not happy with this news. How had this happened? I was just…_me_. And now I had _two_ men jealous of each other over me? "Listen, could you get away from him for a minute? There's something I want to ask you."

"Uh, I guess so. Hang on." I covered the mouthpiece with my palm and looked up apologetically at Emmett. "He wants to talk to me alone for a minute. I'll be right back, okay?" I stretched up on my toes and gave him a quick kiss. Then I dropped his hand and hurried away. "Okay, I'm alone."

"Bella, I don't really know how to say this without sounding like a total ass. I have to ask, though. Are you sure he's the right choice for you? I mean, would it be okay if I took you out, just once, so that you can make an informed decision?"

I startled awake before I could answer him.

_What did _that_ mean? _I wondered. Did my subconscious somehow think I would choose Edward over Emmett? Was I having second thoughts after the previous night's phone conversation? That was ridiculous. I couldn't shake the thoughts, though. I thought about the dream during my shower. I replayed its scenes while I ate breakfast and brushed my teeth and hair. Then again during the drive to work. I was glad I'd been alone this morning. I didn't think I'd be able to explain to Emmett that I'd dreamed about another man. True, Emmett had been in the dream, too, but he definitely hadn't been the focus. I shook my head, trying to clear the thoughts of the dream out. I was pulling into the ACU parking garage and it was going to be hard enough explaining to Emmett the reason I'd wanted to be alone last night without being all spacey because of the dream, too.

I decided I needed a quick 'girl talk' before I faced him. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Alice.

"Bella, hi!" she answered the phone.

"Hi, Alice."

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" she said, her mock formality reminding me that it'd been too long since I'd called her.

"I'm sorry I haven't called you in so long," I apologized. I hadn't actually seen Alice since two weeks after I'd gotten engaged; it was miserable of me, and I knew it, but between work and Emmett, I just hadn't found time.

"It's fine, Bella, really. We're all busy with life. I'm not your everything, and you're not mine. I could have called you, too, and I didn't. So honestly, don't worry, and don't apologize."

"You're the best, Ali. I knew you were my best friend for a reason."

"That I am. But seriously, did you want to talk about something in particular?"

"Yeah, actually. You'll never guess what I did last night?"

"Emmett?"

Even though I was alone, I felt the blush dye my face red. "No!" I exclaimed.

"That would have been an appropriate answer, you know. You are engaged to him; it's okay."

As much as I loved Alice, I did not want to discuss my sex life with her. That was one of things that I considered too private to discuss, even with my best friend. "Well, that's…he's…" I started, quickly getting flustered. "Grrr, Alice!" I exclaimed. I took a breath to calm my nerves back down. Sometimes Alice could be so aggravating. "I talked to Edward."

"So? You guys IM all the time."

"No, not IM. Not _just_ IM, anyway. I mean, I _talked_ to him." I emphasized the word to get her to understand.

"What do you mean, you _talked_ to him? How did you talk to him? I thought you guys weren't meeting until June."

"We're not. I'll tell you the story, but you have to promise to listen_._ No interference, alright?"

"Okay," she agreed, sounding hesitant.

I continued. I gave Alice a breakdown of the last couple of days. I included the vague email from Edward, the resulting phone conversation, and Emmett's reaction to my asking for one night apart. I rolled my eyes at this particular memory, even though I knew Alice couldn't see me. I loved him, but it had been a little absurd that he'd complained over one night away from me. Alice had done wonderfully not interrupting me while I relayed my story. I knew that must've been difficult for her, so I paused here to allow her a chance to respond.

"I don't believe this," she murmured.

"That's your reaction?" I said. "I drop this bomb on you, and your reaction is _I don't believe this_?"

She continued as if she hadn't heard me, getting more animated with each progressive question. "So, what did you talk about? What did he sound like? Did his voice match his picture, or was it more like a radio deejay, but in reverse? You know, how you hear their voice every day and then when you see a picture of them you're all like, '_that's_ what they look like'? Ooh, what did Emmett say when you told him why you wanted to spend the night alone? Are you going to talk to Edward again?"

"Alice, Alice, calm down," I told her. "One thing at a time. Let's start at the beginning of your little tirade. We didn't really talk about anything of substance. It was basically just hearing each others' voices for the time being. His voice was deep and soothing, but not as deep as Em's. Just a pleasant male voice, I guess. It matched his picture perfectly. No reverse deejay syndrome." I decided to skip the question about Emmett for the time being; I hoped she wouldn't notice. "And, yes, we decided we'd like to talk again."

"Wow," she breathed. "Well, this is wonderful, Bella," she said. I breathed an internal sigh of relief that she hadn't picked up on my omission of the Emmett question.

"Alright, Alice. I've got to get in to the office. I'm already cutting it close time-wise, but I wanted to talk to you first."

"Okay, Bella. Thanks for calling. We need to get together again, soon, by the way. It's been too long."

"It has," I agreed.

"I'll call you this weekend, maybe Rose is available, and we can have a spa day or something."

"That'd be great, Alice. Let me know, okay?"

"Alright, Bella. Bye."

"Bye."

I looked around the parking garage as I climbed out of the truck. Emmett's Jeep was already in its normal spot. I concentrated on breathing normally during the walk up to the office. There was no reason for me to be nervous. I hadn't done anything wrong. I entered our joint office and greeted my fiancé with a big smile. "Good morning," I said.

He looked up at me and smiled back, dimples on full display. I loved his dimples. They were probably my single favorite physical feature about Emmett. "Hey, beautiful."

"How was your night?" I inquired.

"Lonely. Yours?"

I fought the urge to roll my eyes at his statement. "Interesting."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You'll never guess what happened."

"Do tell."

I sat on the edge of my desk, facing him, trying to decide on the best course of action. He deserved the truth, and I would give it to him, but it was still going to a bit awkward getting this out there. "You remember I told you about my pen pal, the one I've had since middle school?" I started.

"Yeah, sure. The guy from Chicago."

"Right, Edward. Well, we happened to be online at the same time last night, so we were IM-ing, and we decided that we wanted to try talking. Like, talking-talking. Not just writing." I hadn't discussed yesterday's email, so I thought fudging a few of the details would make what had happened a little easier for him to take. I hoped.

Emmett looked suspicious. "So what happened?"

"Well, he gave me his phone number and I called him."

Emmett's eyes popped. "What?"

"Yeah. It was no big deal. I mean, I feel like I've known him forever, anyway. This was just the natural next step in the friendship."

"I thought you said you'd agreed not to meet. Just to write."

Oh, yeah. I hadn't told Emmett yet that I'd already invited Edward and his brother to the wedding. I'd told Alice, but not Emmett. I'd have to remedy that soon. Not now, but soon. "Yeah, um, we decided to meet after all. It's been fourteen years, and we just figured it's time." I shrugged, feigning nonchalance.

His jaw actually dropped. I couldn't believe it. I'd never seen that kind of reaction from a real person before. I walked over to him, pushed it gently up with one finger, and kissed his mouth tenderly. "He's just a friend, baby, I promise. It's you I love." Then I kissed him again, using the best seductive kiss I could manage.

After a staggered breath, he backed away from me, pointed one finger toward my face, and said, "I've gotta get to work. This conversation is not over, though. Not by a long shot."

_Uh-oh._

x-x-x

"What were you thinking, Bella?" We had gone back to his apartment after work, having driven there separately since both of our cars were at the office after the night apart. Now, we were standing in the living room, facing each other in confrontation. His question was more critical than curious. It made me uncomfortable, and frankly a little mad, the hostility Emmett was displaying regarding Edward.

"It is not that big a deal," I said, blinking back the angry tears that were threatening to fall. I cried more when I was angry than I did when I was upset.

"The hell it isn't! What else haven't you told me about this so-called _pen pal_ of yours?" The look on his face was one of absolute contempt and the way he said _pen pal_ sounded like an accusation of lies untold.

"Nothing, I swear."

His face relaxed infinitesimally. Then I remembered the wedding invite. "Actually, one thing," I amended in a whisper.

"One more thing? That's it? Just one more thing?"

"Yes," I said. I hated fighting with Emmett. This was positively miserable. I loved him, more than I'd ever loved anyone before, but this insane jealousy was starting to frighten me a little. My anger evaporated instantly at his words, and was replaced by pure trepidation at what I was about to tell him.

He closed his eyes, like he expected the worst. I hoped he wouldn't view my news as just that. "What is it?"

"I invited him to the wedding." My voice was small, almost scared-sounding. "And told him to bring his brother." After his reaction at the office today, I almost expected him to spontaneously combust at this revelation. He kept his eyes closed, though, and I could practically see him counting to ten to calm his anger before he proceeded to talk to me. Well past my ten count, his eyes were still closed, though. I started counting his breaths to pass the time while I waited for him to process the information. After a hundred and fifty two breaths, I couldn't take it any longer. I had to hear his thoughts. "Please talk to me," I whispered. I was too afraid of his possible reaction to move any closer to him, though.

The time spent in silence seemed to have allowed him to focus and clear away any lingering anger he felt. He walked toward me and wrapped me in his arms, whispering into the top of my head. "I can understand why you wanted to meet him. I need you to understand why I reacted this way, though." He pulled back from me and looked into my eyes. And in that moment, he didn't have to explain why. I could see it in his eyes, could see the insecurity there. I didn't see any trace of the anger from a few minutes before. The insecurity was nearly as frightening as the anger had been, in its own way.

"I understand. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before." And then I said the unthinkable. I knew I had to offer this, regardless of the fact that it went against what I wanted. I understood, though, that relationships had to be two-sided to work; my life wasn't all about me and doing only what I wanted anymore. "Do you want me to rescind the invitation?"

He looked surprised at my question. "No, of course not. I'm sorry I freaked out on you. When I said that I understand your desire to meet him, I meant it. I won't begrudge you that."

"Thank you," I whispered.

x-x-x

Alice kept good on her promise of a spa day. I'd worked on Saturday, so she and Rose came to pick me up Sunday morning from Emmett's.

It was the first time Rose was going to meet Emmett, and I was a little nervous. Though it had been awhile since we'd spent any significant time together, I still considered her one of my best friends, and I knew she would be critical of him. All in the name of 'caring for me,' of course.

We were still in bed when my cell phone rang. I reached over and grabbed it sleepily from the night table. "Hello," I mumbled.

"Bella! Are you still in bed?" Alice's voice chirped through the speaker.

"Yes. Why, what time is it?"

"It's 8:30. Our reservations at the spa are for 10, remember? Plus we were going to get breakfast first, and Rose wants to meet your man."

"Right," I murmured. "Alright, when are you going to be here?"

"We're here now, silly. You didn't answer the buzz, that's why I called."

"Now," I grumbled. "Okay, give me ten minutes and I'll buzz you in." I snapped the phone shut and leaned over to Emmett. "Babe, we gotta get up," I murmured into his ear.

"I don't want to," he mumbled, grabbing me by the waist and pulling me onto his chest. "I want to stay here with you all day." He gave me a chaste kiss on the mouth.

"I know, but I promised Alice and Rose that I'd go out with them today, remember?"

"Ugh, that's right," he said. "Well, that doesn't mean _I_ have to get out bed this early on my only day off, does it?"

"Normally, no, it wouldn't," I told him sweetly. "However, this morning, one of my very best friends, whom I haven't spent nearly enough time with recently—thanks to you," I teased, tapping his nose, "wants to meet you. So come on, lazy bones. You can come back to bed after we leave."

"Mmm," he moaned. "Speaking of bones," he said suggestively, grinding his hips into mine. I laughed and slapped him playfully on the chest.

"You know I'd love to take care of that for you, but Al and Rose are waiting outside already." I rose from the bed.

"So?"

"So, I'm going to have to take a raincheck. Unless, of course, you want to jump in the shower with me."

I knew that that invitation would get him out of the bed faster than any other would have, and I was right. He practically leaped from the bed and beat me to the adjoining bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later, I called Alice back, apologizing profusely for having taken twenty minutes rather than the ten I promised, and buzzed her and Rose up to the apartment. I opened the door for them, pulling Alice into a hug. She whispered into my ear, "You're not actually sorry. I know why you're late." Her voice was knowing, and I didn't doubt that she was right.

I just giggled and shook my head, neither acknowledging nor denying her suspicion. Pulling away from Alice's hug, I turned and saw Rosalie and Emmett eyeing each other. They looked slightly uncomfortable, so I decided introductions were in order. I left Alice's side and stood next to Emmett. "Rose, this is Emmett McCarty, my fiancé," I told her. "And Em, this is Rose, Alice's sister and my second-best friend." I gestured over to Alice. "And of course, you remember Alice."

Rosalie reached her hand out tentatively, saying quietly, "It's nice to meet you." I couldn't read her expression; she was gazing more at the floor than at Emmett and me. This struck me as a little odd, because Rosalie was usually pretty confident. Not quite as outgoing as her sister, but confident enough to hold her own during a simple introduction. I wondered what she thought of Emmett. I'd have to ask her once we left the apartment.

"It's nice to meet you, too, Rose," Emmett replied, taking her hand. He did not look at the floor during the introduction. Despite the fact that she was not meeting his gaze, his eyes never left her face. If I didn't trust him implicitly, I might have gotten suspicious over just how intently he was staring at her. In fact, despite that, I sort of was. I looked up at him and cleared my throat to regain his attention. He blinked and looked down at me. "Alright, well, have fun, babe. I'll see you tonight."

I wrapped his arms around his neck and he leaned over to kiss me. "Bye," I said against his mouth.

Before the kiss could get any more intense, Alice grabbed my arm and pulled me away. "Let's _go,_" she said, yanking me toward the door.

Emmett laughed and released me. "Have a good time," he said, repeating the sentiment from a few seconds before. And then I was out the door.

The spa day was perfect. It started in the car, where I'd asked Rose what she'd thought of Emmett, remembering her reaction to him in the apartment.

She chuckled once, then replied, "He seems great, Bella. I know I've only spent a sum total of about three minutes in his presence, but I can tell that you're lucky to have found him."

"Thanks," I replied happily, twisting my engagement ring around my finger. I was reassured by her words that I really must have imagined any sort of…chemistry between them.

We chattered happily the rest of the way to the spa about various things, primarily the wedding. Whereas I wanted a 'real' wedding, I wasn't willing to become one of the infamous "Bridezillas". I wanted Alice and Rose to be comfortable in their bridesmaids' dresses, and for the dresses to be something they could wear everyday, not just for this one event. So I'd told them that they could wear whatever dress they wanted, so long as it matched the color scheme of periwinkle blue and white.

"Really, Bella? You're not having official bridesmaids' dresses?" Alice asked skeptically.

"Really," I told her. I could already sense the department store buyer in her coming out. "It'll probably be pretty warm since it'll be the middle of June, and besides, I've been to enough weddings and seen enough bridesmaids' dresses to know that over ninety percent of those three-hundred-dollar dresses will never get worn again. I'd rather you bought a twenty dollar dress that you love and will wear frequently."

"Wow, Bella, that's really nice of you," Rosalie said before Alice could interject another smarmy comment.

"Thank you, Rosalie," I said, glaring at Alice while I spoke to Rose, saying with my look _You are not going to change my mind on this one, so don't bother trying._

By the time we finished discussing the issue of the bridesmaids' dresses, Alice had pulled up into the spa's parking lot. It was at a gorgeous hotel, one I'd never been to before. "Wow, Alice, you sure can pick them," I told her as we climbed out of her car.

"I know." She smiled smugly.

We entered through the main door and Alice gave her name at the desk. I peered around me at everything, taking in every detail I could. The ceiling was high, at least three stories up. Everything was white: the walls, the ceiling, most of the light fixtures, even the stairs. The floor was a stunning white marble laced with black. I was oddly reminded of the fat marbling a steak, supposedly a sign of a good cut of beef; in this case, the black lines all over the white floor really were wonderful looking. Even the furniture in the waiting area was white. There were two old fashioned looking white sofas, both striped with a faint gold color, and with wood legs. The two sofas were facing one another and there was a table between them that was an exact match to the legs of the couches. Though most of the light fixtures were white like everything else in the luxurious room, the one directly above the sitting area was the same pale gold of the stripes on the sofas. I was stunned by the perfect visual before me. The room must have taken immense planning to color match everything so perfectly.

In that moment, I knew that this was the location I wanted for the wedding. Nothing else mattered. This was the spot.

My friends walked over to me then, and Rosalie said, "We're all checked in, Bella. You ready to get started?"

I just whispered in response, "This is it. This is where I want to get married."

Alice, in typical excited-Alice fashion, got all giddy and started jumping and clapping. I looked over at her like she was crazy. She shot the same look back at me. "This is great, Bella! I didn't even think about wedding locations when I picked this spa. It's like it was meant to be or something!"

Just then, we were summoned by a tall man calling out Alice's name. We acknowledged him, and he smiled and led us back to the spa area of the hotel. I vaguely recall having received a massage, a facial, and a manicure. By the time Rosalie and Alice dropped me off back at Emmett's apartment, the only evidence of the day was my good mood at having found the location and my painted nails. I had virtually no memories of the actual event.

Emmett was pleased in the kind of way that guys are regarding wedding plans. He was happy that I'd found the place I wanted. He didn't really care about the specifics, only that I was happy with my choice.

After I'd finished spilling my guts about the hotel—and he'd listened, only reacting with the head nods and "mm-hmms" at the appropriate times—I asked him, "Can we go back to my place tonight? We've been here since…" I trailed off, not wanting to mention my phone conversation with Edward again. "Anyway, I need to get the mail."

"Yeah, sure. Let's go."

After several days away from my own home, the mailbox was stuffed full. _Bill, bill, junk mail, junk mail, _more_ junk mail, letter from Edward. _That was the one I'd been hoping for. It was just a simple white business-sized envelope. Edward never bothered with matching stationery like I did, but I didn't care. It had been five days since I'd had any contact with Edward at all. I hadn't been home to receive this letter, and there had been no emails, IMs, or additional phone calls on either part. So, anxious, I tore into the envelope immediately.

"What's that?" Emmett inquired.

"A letter from Edward," I answered, hastily reading the handwritten text.

Reading the words on the page, I was shocked. This was not like the normal letters I received from Edward. This was different. Very different. "Hey, Em, I'll be right back. I need some fresh air," I told him.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah. I just need a minute. Why don't you order some takeout for dinner? I'll be back in just a few minutes."

"Alright. Love you."

"Love you, too," I murmured, not paying attention to him anymore as I reread the letter, making sure I hadn't misread the words the first time. I hadn't.

Once outside, I pulled my phone out of my purse and searched through the contacts list, my fingers trembling as I scrolled through it. When I found the number I was looking for, my thumb hovered over the green 'talk' button for several seconds before I could bring myself to push it, much like it had the last time I'd dialed this number; the first time I'd dialed it. I breathed in deeply, filling my lungs with the fresh, cool-but-not-cold air of Seattle in the spring. That action calmed me a bit, and in the calmness, I knew I had to do this. I had to make this phone call. I pressed the button and lifted the phone to my ear.

It rang four times before I heard a tired-sounding, "Hello?"

"Edward?"

"Yeah. Who's this?"

"It's Bella."

"Bella, hi," he said, surprise evident in his voice.

"Did I wake you?"

"No, I'm good," he said, sounding more alert than he had just a few seconds earlier. I could tell he was lying about my not having woken him. I didn't care, though. This was important.

"So, I just read your letter," I began.

"Oh," he said, sounding confused. "And you just had to call me at…ten o'clock at night to tell me that you read my letter? Ah, jeez, I suck. Why am I in bed at ten o'clock at night?"

I ignored his little pity party. "Edward, what the hell were you thinking, sending me a letter like that?"

**A/N: So, there we go, chapter 7, my first cliffhanger (in this story, anyway). I hope you enjoyed it. **

**Reminder: though I haven't really written a real 'lemon' yet, this story is rated M for a reason. Angst/drama coming soon. Be prepared.**

**Send me a review, let me know what you think… Thanks for reading.**

**~Wendy**


	8. More than Friends

**A/N: Just the normal stuff this time: **

**I don't own **_**Twilight**_**. **

**Special thanks to my beta, G, for everything :).**

**And thanks to you, for reading. Last chapter had the biggest response so far, and I'm shocked and thrilled each day with the sheer numbers of new people putting this on their story alerts or favorites list. So, truly, thank you!**

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

_Previously:_

"_Hello?"_

"_Edward?"_

"_Yeah. Who's this?"_

"_It's Bella."_

"_Bella, hi," he said, surprise evident in his voice._

"_Did I wake you?"_

"_No, I'm good," he said, sounding more alert than he had just a few seconds earlier. I could tell he was lying about my not having woken him. I didn't care, though. This was important._

"_So, I just read your letter," I began._

"_Oh," he said, sounding confused. "And you just had to call me at…ten o'clock at night to tell me that you read my letter? Ah, jeez, I suck. Why am I in bed at ten o'clock at night?"_

_I ignored his little pity party. "Edward, what the hell were you thinking, sending me a letter like that?" _

**Edward POV**

I was struggling to think coherently. It wasn't that late, but ten o'clock on a Sunday night was normally about the time I went to bed. It was a little unusual for me to have already been asleep by then, though. I blinked a few times, trying to figure out what was going on. When that didn't help, I stood up, stretched my arms up over my head, and said into the phone, "Hey, Bella, I need a minute to wake up. I'll call you right back, okay?"

"You better," she snarled through the phone.

"I will," I promised, then hung up quickly.

I went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face, trying to make sense of her sour mood. What had I done? I'd simply sent my traditional letter outlining my week. It had actually probably been a pretty boring letter to read in all honesty. It had been boring to write, not like the 'journal' letters I'd written this week. And it definitely should _not_ have caused this kind of reaction from Bella.

That's when it hit me; the thought that woke me up more than the cold water had. I hurried back to my bedroom, tossed my phone onto the bed, and pulled open the drawer of my night table. That's where I'd kept all of my journal letters hidden, underneath the piles of clean socks and boxers. I pulled out the entire stack quickly, and read through them as fast as I could. It didn't take long before I found the letter I was looking for. The one that shouldn't have been there. The one detailing my week at the clinic. I sat heavily on the bed, clutching my head in my hands and wondering how this had happened.

_Well, the damage is done. I may as well face the music. _There was nothing I could do now but keep my promise to call her back. It had already been nearly ten minutes; I guessed based on the way she'd sounded when she called me that she was probably pretty impatient right now. I could only hope that she'd been alone when she'd read that letter. I picked the phone up off the sheets, pulled up the recent calls list and returned her call.

"Hello," she spat after only one ring.

"Hi," I said nervously. "It's me."

"I know." Her voice was still curt.

"So," I started. "I guess I sent the wrong letter."

"You think?" she replied sarcastically. She sounded really angry. I hoped I would be able to explain things to her satisfactorily.

"Yeah," I let my voice trail off, still trying to work out in my brain how to fix this. I settled on the truth, deciding that I wouldn't hold anything back from her now. There was no point anymore, considering the letter she had. "Look, Bella, I'm sorry I sent you that letter, but I am _not_ sorry that I wrote it. Everything in there is true. I've been thinking of no one but you for months, since before you even told me you were engaged. I decided that I wanted to meet you a long time before we made the mutual agreement. I know the timing's crummy, but the sentiment's right. I just hope you'll forgive me for feeling those things, and not disinvite me to your wedding, because I truly do want to meet you. If you'll have me. Though I understand if you never want anything to do with me again." I tacked on that last sentence, hoping beyond hope that she wouldn't make that decision. At least not now, out of anger.

There was silence on her end for several minutes. I didn't want to press my luck further by saying anything more until she reacted to what I'd just said. After what felt like an eternity, just when I was about to check my screen to make sure the call hadn't dropped, I heard her sigh quietly. Then she whispered, "How could you have possibly meant those things? You don't even know me."

"On the contrary," I replied. "I've known you since I was fourteen years old. I've never been close enough to you to hold your hand, or brush your hair away from your eyes, or hug you when you're having a bad day, but I _know_ you. Sometimes I feel like I know you better than I know the people I see every day."

"You really feel that way? Like you know me better than the people in your everyday life?" Though my intention had simply been to explain the letter, the result I was getting was a melting of her originally icy demeanor. It sounded like she was going to be quick to forgive, and for that I would be eternally grateful.

I chuckled lightly. "Yes, I really feel that way. And honestly, I didn't mean for you to ever read that letter. I know you're engaged, taken, about to marry Emmett, and I don't want to get in the way of your happiness. That letter was more for me than you; I just put the wrong one in the envelope. I did write a normal letter this week. I can send it if you want the proof."

It was her turn to laugh, a short sweet giggle. "Why don't you just read it to me now, instead?" she suggested.

"Okay," I agreed. The letter was still on the top of the stack I'd pulled out of the table drawer. I snagged it from the bed and began to read.

"_Dear Bella,_

"_My week's actually been pretty boring. I wish I had something interesting to write to you about, but I don't. Oh, wait, one thing. I got my first permanent patients this week. Yeah, I know, right? Pretty exciting. Well, maybe not for you, but I'm pretty pleased. It's a young family, a married couple with a little girl, and another baby on the way. I think Dr. Snow is going to be retiring soon, so I'll probably get assigned several of his patients, but this family is my 'first.' Other than that, it's been the same old, same old of head colds, suture removals, and the like. _

"_How's your week? I assume you're busy with wedding plans? _

"Wow, this letter really sucks," I snickered, cutting myself off before I'd finished reading. She laughed along with me. That gave me hope, for the second time tonight, that I hadn't totally destroyed the relationship—_friendship_, I corrected myself silently, _it can only ever be_ _friendship_—with my blunder. "I really am sorry about the mistake," I apologized again.

She took a deep breath, but didn't say anything for several minutes. I felt like I'd said enough for the moment, so I was quiet, too, letting her process it all.

Finally, she spoke. "Where does this leave us, do you think?"

"I'm not entirely sure. Where do you want us to be?"

"I still want to meet you. Do you still want to come to Seattle?"

That question was music to my ears. I'd been afraid she'd not only disinvite me to her wedding, but also decide that she didn't want anything else to do with me. I mean, who does what I did? Keep a journal of sorts, stating that they're in love with a woman they've never met, then send one of the journal entries to said woman? No one, that's who.

"Edward?" she asked tentatively. I'd been caught up in my thoughts and hadn't answered her yet.

"Yes. I definitely still want to come to Seattle."

"Good. I'll see you in June then?"

"Yeah."

"Hey, I just had a thought. Why don't you come out the day before? Even though you're not in the wedding, you can come to the rehearsal dinner. It'll be pretty low stress, and we can talk. You can meet Emmett, you know, before the big day. I'm not sure how much time I'll actually have to spend with you the day of. In fact, how much time are you able to take off from work?"

"I'm not sure. A few days at least. Maybe a week. Why?"

"Well, the nineteenth is Saturday. Come on Monday, that way we'll have all week to get to know each other for real. Is your brother coming, too?"

"Yeah, Jasper said he'd come with me."

"Great, 'cause I've already been talking him up to Alice. She's skeptical, but willing to meet him."

"I'll see what I can do about getting out there on the Monday. Tell me about Alice; what should I tell my brother to get him to agree to this…date?"

"What do you want to know?"

"I don't know, everything. What does she do? What does she look like? Any personality traits he should be made aware of? Stuff like that."

"Well, she works as a buyer at Macy's downtown. She's always loved shopping, even when we were still in school, so when the position came up, she fought for it until she got it. She's spunky, both in appearance and personality. She's short, like five-one or shorter, I'm not exactly sure. She's got short, spiky, dark-brown-almost-black hair, and she's thin. She looks kind of like a fairy or a pixie or something, I suppose," she laughed as she described her friend. "And she's always busy, flitting around, planning stuff. She loves to celebrate. She'll turn anything into a celebration, no matter how minute it seems to everyone else. Does that give you something to tell your brother?"

"Yeah," I told her. "She sounds…interesting."

"She's great, though, really. I don't know what I'd do without her some days. Now, what about your brother? What's he like?"

"I thought you said you already knew all about him from my letters," I teased her.

"Alright, alright," she agreed. "I know he's in the Army, but what does he do? And what does he look like? Alice isn't totally vain, but she'll want to know nonetheless."

I laughed gently at her assessment of her friend. "Well, Jasper's average height, about five-ten. He's got blond hair, which obviously is cut short. When it grows out, it's curly, but it's been years since I've seen any curls on his head," I laughed again. "His eyes are striking blue," I trailed off, realizing how girly I sounded. "Did I just say that my brother has striking eyes?"

"You did," she giggled.

"Geez, when did I become such a girl?" I chastised myself. "Alright, moving on. He's been in the Army for eight years, and is a natural at it. He graduated with honors from West Point Academy, a prestigious military school," I continued.

"Yeah, I've heard of West Point," she interrupted.

"You have?"

"Yeah."

"Cool." I went on, not wanting to get too far off on a tangent. "Well, since he graduated, he's risen through the ranks quickly. He's a lieutenant colonel now, which is only two ranks down from a General. When he's deployed, he's mostly in charge of the strategy side of things; he's too highly ranked to see much in the way of battle."

"Wow," she breathed. "That's impressive. Okay, how old is he?"

"He's thirty-two."

"Okay, a little older than us, but not so old that he's out of the question," she murmured.

"And Alice is the same age as you, right?"

"Yeah, twenty-six."

"Alright. I don't think that'll be too young for Jasper to consider." I smirked when I said this, even though I knew Bella couldn't see me. In all honesty, I knew age wouldn't be an issue at all for Jasper. It wasn't like he was loose, but he _had_ been out of the country for a long time. Something as simple as age wasn't going to be a deciding factor of whether or not he'd be interested in a girl. Six years wasn't so much anyway.

"I'm sorry I overreacted about the letter," Bella said quietly, changing the subject back to the reason for the phone call.

"It's fine. Understandable, even. And again, I'm sorry I sent the wrong one. I'm sorry if what I said in that letter made you uncomfortable. But remember, I still am not sorry that I wrote it."

"I'm actually flattered that you feel that way, even if I'm not in a position to return the feelings," she told me.

I didn't know what to say to that, so instead of trying to come up with something, I just said, "Good night, Bella."

"Good night," she said.

And I closed my phone.

x-x-x

The next several weeks flew by. I'd put in for the time off, and would be taking a full week of vacation in the middle of June. In addition to our weekly letters and multiple emails, Bella and I tried to talk on the phone whenever possible as well. My feelings for her hadn't diminished, but I was able to keep them in check. I moved my 'journal' letter writing to an actual journal to avoid another mistake like the one I'd made. I tried at first to stop writing them altogether, but I couldn't. I found after just a couple of days that I needed that outpouring. I found it therapeutic. I'd talk to Jasper about Bella sometimes, but part of me just wanted to have the private thoughts stay private. It was a way to express my desires without having to actually talk to someone. I was a private man, and not always comfortable sharing. At the same time, though, I knew that if I tried to keep the thoughts in, I'd go insane. Keeping all of them together in a book was good for me.

My travel plans had been arranged. Jasper and I would be leaving on a Sunday. We'd be arriving in Seattle in the early evening, local time, though after spending the better part of the day traveling, we intended to just veg in the hotel room that first night. I'd had countless communications with Bella regarding the trip, and though she was going to be busy with guests besides me, she'd recruited her best friend and maid of honor, Alice, to hang with Jasper and me when she wasn't available. It turned out that Alice was the friend that Bella had wanted to set Jasper up with, so she was the natural choice for this job. I wasn't thrilled with the arrangement, but I understood the necessity. It wasn't like Bella could ditch her fiancé to spend time with her male pen pal all week. The five of us, plus Bella's other bridesmaid, Rosalie, would be having dinner together one night during the week. Additionally, the wedding would be taking place in a hotel, and Bella had told me that she would be spending the week there—also using her vacation time from work—getting plans finalized. So I'd made sure to book a room in the same hotel.

Saturday afternoon, the day before the flight to Seattle, I had lunch with my friend Jared. We'd gone to med school together, but had done our residencies in separate hospitals. Now he worked in my father's emergency room.

"So you're really going to meet her, huh?" he asked after the waitress had taken our orders.

"Yeah. It's crazy. Over a decade in the making," I joked.

"No doubt," he agreed. "Are you sure you're going to be okay doing it under these circumstances, though?"

I'd thought about that a lot over the past several weeks. I gave him the answer I'd been telling myself over and over again. "I have to be. It's this or not at all."

He looked contemplative. After a few minutes, he said, "Would it be better just to go back to being pen pals, though?"

His words cut through me like a knife. I knew he didn't mean them to, but with everything I'd been going through lately on the Bella-front, the thought of going back to being _just _pen pals physically hurt me every time I allowed it to cross my mind. Jared must have noticed me wince at his words, because he hastily added, "Hey, man, I'm sorry. I know you've been looking forward to this for months. I just don't want you to go all the way to Seattle, using up all of your vacation days for the entire year, and come back all stressed out, worse than you were when you went."

It was a sentiment that my brother shared. He'd been asking every other day or so if I was sure I wanted to make the trip. I was pretty sure that my mother would have been asking the same things if I'd told her of my true feelings. I wasn't sure how she would react to my devotion to an engaged woman—and one I'd not yet met at that—so I'd kept it away from her. I didn't care if I came back worse off, though. "All I care about is meeting Bella," I told him honestly.

"All right, then. I support you," he said simply.

I changed the subject at that point. I didn't want to talk about my upcoming trip anymore. I switched the subject back onto him. We talked about his wife, Kim, and future plans. When he tried to ask me about my plans, I was careful not to divulge too much about what I actually wanted. I was very vague and always quick to push the conversation away from myself. I think by the end of the lunch, I'd alienated Jared a bit, but I couldn't help it. I didn't want to risk slipping up and making another person in my life think I was crazy for having these feelings. I think, though, based on our earlier conversation and my constant subject-changing, he could tell that something was up. He never pressed the issue too hard, though.

"I'll give you a call when I get back," I promised him in the parking lot once we'd left the diner.

"Alright, man, sounds good. Have a good trip." His words were supportive, but his voice had just a hint of skepticism in it. I ignored that.

"Thanks," I replied. We shook hands, climbed into our respective cars, and left.

x-x-x

Jasper slept on my couch that night. We'd decided that would be better than me having to pick him up early in the morning. Sunday morning, we got up early, took separate showers, and left for the airport. Once we'd arrived, two hours early, and found the proper gate, we went to one of the little airport cafés for breakfast. That killed some time, and then we just went back to our gate to wait. Eventually they announced that our plane was boarding.

We found our seats easily and waited again, this time for takeoff. The plane taxied away toward the runway exactly on time. I paid for the headphones for both Jasper and myself to watch the in-flight movie, a mindless comedy. The airplane food for lunch was standard in its mediocrity, and I was glad—yet nervous—when the pilot announced that we were descending into Sea-Tac. My nervousness was unnecessary. I wasn't expecting to actually see Bella until the following day, but it was still unnerving to know that I was in the same city as she was. At last.

Jasper and I retrieved our bags from the rotating conveyor belt at baggage claim, and went immediately to the car rental counter. It was there that I heard my name.

"Edward!"

I turned, and there was Bella. I'd recognize her anywhere; she'd sent me an updated picture recently. I was shocked that she'd come to the airport to meet us. And that she appeared to be alone. Thrilled, but shocked. I dropped my bag next to Jasper, leaving him in the line. I sprinted toward Bella, grabbing her up in a hug as soon as I reached her. I'd only ever seen photos of her from the shoulders up, and I was kind of surprised at how tiny she was. She'd described her friend Alice as short, but she didn't have much room to talk there herself. She couldn't be more than five-four. There was a depth to her eyes that photographs hadn't conveyed. It was like I could see all the way into her soul just by gazing into her eyes. And the most surprising thing of all was the feeling of electricity that seemed to flow through my veins when I touched her for the first time. I thought I saw something flash through her eyes as well during the brief touch, but I couldn't be sure. By the time I recognized that there was something in her expression and looked again, her face showed nothing else. _I must've imagined it. _

I suddenly realized that she was giggling. At the sound, I realized that I hadn't said anything to her yet. "Hey," I said happily.

"Hey yourself," she replied.

"I wasn't expecting you here," I said.

"I know. I thought it would be a nice surprise."

"That's an understatement. It's more than _nice._" She just smiled. I grabbed her by the hand, again feeling the spark, and pulled her over to Jasper. "Bella, this is my brother, Jasper. Jasper, Bella," I introduced them. They shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.

Once Jasper had the keys for our rental car, Bella asked, "So where are you guys staying?"

I chuckled once and said, "Actually, at the same hotel that your wedding's at," I said. "I just figured it'd be easier that way."

"Well, I suppose that's true," she said. "Okay, well, I'm in short term parking, obviously, so let me go get my truck, and I'll meet you guys over by the rentals. You can follow me to the hotel." I grabbed her hand as we walked toward the main entrance of the airport. I was a bit surprised that she didn't protest the action, but glad. I wasn't ready to stop touching her yet. Once we were outside, I no longer had an excuse to hold onto her, though. She needed to go get her truck, and Jasper and I needed to find our rental car. So I reluctantly dropped her hand. I immediately felt lost without her tiny hand nestled into mine.

Her truck had been mentioned a few times in her letters, but I was still a little surprised that she actually drove something like that. It was a far cry from my Volvo. It looked like it was older than my parents. It was a unique enough vehicle that we had no problems keeping track of her on the way to the hotel. When we walked into the lobby, I could tell instantly why she'd picked this place. Even as a guy, I could tell that this place was classy. It would make a great wedding location.

"Well, this is it," she said. "I wish I could spend more time with you tonight, but I've got to get back to Emmett. I told him I was going to meet you at the airport, and he was supportive, but…" she trailed off.

"It's fine, I understand," I told her. "Thanks for coming to the airport." I smiled.

"What?" she asked with a smirk.

"I just can't believe I'm actually seeing you," I said.

"I know. Me, neither."

I couldn't help myself; I had to touch her again before she left. I reached out for her hand again. She seemed amenable to the contact, and offered her hand to me. I squeezed it gently and she smiled before pulling away and saying, "Good night, Edward. I'm glad you're here."

"Good night, Bella."

Jasper had checked us in while I'd flirted with Bella. It was horrible of me, to have flirted with an engaged woman, and I knew it, but I hadn't been able to help it. I watched her as she walked to the elevator and felt a pang of abandonment when the doors slid shut.

**A/N: Well, there's the initial meeting. It was probably a little… **_**calmer**_** than you may have hoped for, but don't fret. Next chapter is Bella's version of the meeting, and she gives me more to work with than Edward does. More emotion. Plus, we'll get to read that letter that has only been hinted at thus far. **

**After that, we'll spend a couple of chapters on the week leading up to the wedding; after that, I've got **_**tons**_** of ideas and scenarios to throw at Edward and Bella. So stick with me, and I promise I'll make it worth your while in the long run! Now, click on that little review link and leave me a note! **


	9. What Happens at SeaTac Stays at SeaTac

**A/N: Just the normal stuff: **

**I don't own **_**Twilight.**_

**Special thanks to my beta, G, for everything, your friendship most of all :). Especially this chapter, for not letting me post something that didn't quite fit the tone of the story. Your insight and constructive criticism are invaluable.**

**And thanks to you, for reading. **

**CHAPTER NINE**

**Bella POV**

On Sunday afternoon, Emmett and I walked into the hotel. Though I'd been here several times in the past weeks reserving rooms, paying deposits, meeting with wedding planners, and the like, Emmett hadn't yet seen the space. I was still stunned every time I entered the lobby; I couldn't believe that I had been able to reserve it on such short notice. Today was more than just having a meeting, though. We were finally here to check in for the final week before the wedding. All the plans had been made, all the fees paid, and there was nothing more to do until Saturday. We still had to work until Wednesday night, but we'd decided to stay here anyway. Starting Thursday, vacation began, and we'd have two full weeks away from the office. We were planning on staying here all week, until next Sunday, at which point we'd be leaving for our honeymoon.

I kept my eyes on his face the entire time we walked through the doors. His expression didn't reveal anything as far as what he might be thinking so I had to ask. "What do you think?" I was clutching his arm as we walked around the lobby, taking everything in.

"It's fine, babe. I already told you, this is your day. Anything you want is fine." His voice was indifferent.

"It's not _my_ day. It's _our_ day," I reminded him. We'd had this skirmish often during the weeks of planning. It was actually starting to get kind of annoying. I couldn't understand why he seemed so uninterested in everything that I was planning. I knew that guys didn't normally care as much about weddings as girls, but surely he should have at least a passing interest in what I was planning. I was glad my mom lived fairly close. She'd come down a few weekends in a row, and along with Alice, we'd managed to finalize all the plans. This week was all about relaxing. _Mostly about relaxing, _I reminded myself_. Three more days of work, then it'll be all about relaxing. _

We got checked in, and then rode the elevator up to the fourth floor where our room was. I hadn't actually seen the guest rooms yet; I'd spent my time here looking at the banquet hall, planning seating arrangements and choosing decorations. Just like everything else in this hotel, the room was gorgeous. We entered the room and first saw a sitting area, unlike the studio-apartment-feel of motels. I walked around the main room, running my fingers over a solid white sofa, similar in style to those in the lobby, just without the stripes. Looking up, I saw that the walls, rather than being plain white, were painted the color of the stripes on the other sofas. The carpet matched, but was a slightly darker shade. I set my bag down next to the sofa and saw that there was a large TV bolted to a pale beige table. On the opposite side of the couch from where I'd dropped my suitcase sat an end table that matched the TV table, but this one had a drawer. I walked over to that table and opened the drawer. Inside was a list of which channel was assigned to which number, the prices of the pay-per-view movies, and a remote control. I sat down on the couch, testing it. It was very comfortable; a perfect place for relaxing at the end of the workday. I wished the couch in my apartment was as comfortable as this one.

I stood again, and walked around to the back of the couch. That was where the entrance to the bedroom portion of the suite was. That was what I was most excited to see. Walking through that doorway, I saw that the comforter on the bed matched the white and gold furniture from the rest of the hotel. It was folded down, revealing sheets and pillowcases in the same pale gold. It was gorgeous, and I was more sure than ever that I'd chosen the right venue.

I turned around to face Emmett. He was looking around the room, just like I was, but he didn't seem quite as enthralled with its beauty as I did. He looked distracted. I needed to get his attention, though. Today was the day Edward was coming into town and I wanted to be there to meet him at the airport, though we'd already agreed to meet tomorrow. This meeting was several years in the making, and frankly, I was tired of waiting. I had to tell Emmett that I'd be going to the airport. I wasn't entirely sure how he would take the news, but my mind was made up.

"So, er, Edward's flight arrives tonight," I said tentatively.

"Oh?" His eyes met mine, finally.

"Yeah. And I was kind of thinking about meeting him at the airport."

"That sounds like a good idea," he told me, showing more enthusiasm than he had all day.

"Really?" I couldn't hide my shock. Though we hadn't fought about my relationship with Edward since that first night, I was pretty sure it was mostly because I'd stopped talking about it with Emmett. I didn't sneak around, but there was no reason to rub his face in it, either. The letters and emails were easy to keep casual. After all, I'd been doing just that the entire time I'd known Emmett; longer really. The recent development of phone calls was slightly trickier. I made those whenever Emmett was working late without me, or out with the guys, basically any time I was alone. Edward's voice really had become something of a drug to me. Ever since I'd heard it the first time, I couldn't get enough. Even the time I'd called him because I was angry, I'd been so distracted by the attractiveness of his voice that it'd been impossible to _stay_ angry with him. Especially considering the things he'd said that night. That what he'd written in the fateful letter had been true. That letter had meant more to me than any of the others in fourteen years of writing, so much so that I kept it tucked inside the inner pocket of my purse. I never left home without it. And I read it frequently. It felt like a dirty little secret, but one that I wasn't willing—or _able_, I'm not sure which—to give up.

"Bella?" I'd been so caught up in my memories, thoughts of Edward's letter hiding in my handbag, that I hadn't realized that Emmett had been talking.

"I'm sorry, I was lost in thought. What were you saying, sweetie?"

"I can see that you were lost in thought. I was just saying that I think it's a great idea for you to go meet Edward at the airport. I know I've been kind of a jerk regarding the whole you-and-Edward thing, but I'm done; I'm ready to be supportive of you."

"Thank you," I said earnestly. Then I added, "Do you want to come, too?" _Please say no, please say no. _It wasn't that I didn't want Emmett to meet Edward, I just wanted the first time to be special. I wanted to be by myself the first time I laid eyes on him in the flesh.

"No, I'll keep myself busy here. You go, I know how much this means to you. Just drive carefully."

"I will. Thank you for understanding."

"No problem, babe. I'll see you when you get back. Give me a call when you leave the airport, alright?"

"Okay. I'll see you later." I kissed him chastely on the mouth, then turned and walked through the sitting room of the suite, and out the door.

We'd brought my truck to the hotel, so I hoped Emmett was right when he'd said he'd be able to keep himself busy in the hotel. Though Seattle was a big city, the hotel was in a pretty secluded area; there wasn't much around, not even public transit. Fortunately it was a fancy enough place that they had room service, so between the pay-per-view movies and food delivery, I figured he'd be fine. Plus, he had both his cell phone and the room phone, in case anything went wrong.

I drove to Sea-Tac International Airport, pulled the truck into the short-term lot and walked to the main entryway. I wasn't exactly sure which flight he was on, only that he'd been flying with United, so I scanned the arrivals board. After several minutes of searching, I finally found _United Flight 893, from Chicago, Arriving 6:23 p.m. On time. _Next to the flight information was the gate number. I glanced down at my watch; 5:30. I wasn't exactly sure where that terminal was, so I started by finding that. It took about fifteen minutes of walking through the massive airport before I found where he would exit. Once I was there, I looked around. There was a bookstore, gift shop, coffee shop, and fast food restaurant nearby. I wasn't hungry, and if I drank any coffee this late at night, I'd be up for hours. I knew that wouldn't be good; after all, I wasn't on vacation quite yet.

I didn't need to buy any Seattle-themed gifts for anyone.

So that left the book store. I didn't want to purchase a new book, but I still had nearly forty-five minutes to wait. I'd go mad if I didn't occupy my mind somehow during that time. I walked over to the shop and decided on a newspaper. That would give me something to read, but cost one dollar rather than ten. After I made my purchase, I found a place to sit and read, but before I opened the paper, I decided that I wanted to read Edward's letter—the 'mistake' letter—again first. I unzipped my purse, shifted a few things aside, then unzipped the hidden pocket. I pulled out the folded sheet of paper and took in his small, tidy handwriting. _Much nicer looking than my doctor's handwriting,_ I thought randomly.

_Dear Bella,_

_I've written the same thing countless times the past few weeks, and yet it's still not enough. I find myself writing these kinds of letters much more often than those that I actually send to you. I can't get you out of my mind. Thoughts of you fill my brain more often than they should; when I'm at work, when I'm at home, while I'm driving. Everything seems to remind me of you. Music especially. There are so many songs that say what I want to say, and they say it much better than I ever could. Just today, in fact, while I drove home from work, I was listening to the local pop station, which in itself is rare—usually I'm a talk radio kind of guy—but I decided I wanted music today. And it was a song I hadn't heard in years, since high school, a Celine Dion ballad. Several of the lines were perfect descriptors of how I feel, so long as you switch the gender point of view. Once you do that, though, it's perfect. Of course, not every line fits my situation, but nothing's perfect. 'Listen' to this: _

_I'll be waiting for you _

_Here inside my heart _

_I'm the one who wants to love you more. _

_You will see I can give you _

_Everything you need_

_Let me be the one to love you more. _

_I couldn't express my feelings any more clearly than that. Now, I don't know Emmett; maybe he is who you need. But I need to write this, to say that I __want__ to be there for you. I've had these thoughts every day, and written them down numerous times, but in just the chorus of that song was everything I wanted to say today. Not wanted, __needed__ to say. So, Bella, I know that you probably won't ever read this letter; I'm writing it more for myself than for you, but I hope you somehow are able to know that I __will__ be waiting for you, on the off chance that something happens between you and Emmett. As much as I want you for myself, I would never wish ill will on your relationship, but when I meet you in a few weeks, I hope that you'll see the truth in these words, even if you don't know my feelings in advance. I trust your judgment in choosing him, but know that I __want__ to love you more. And again, though I wish you well in your upcoming marriage, if you ever need me, I am here for you. I wish we'd met face-to-face a long time ago, Bella. Perhaps then, I wouldn't be in this situation now. The situation of having fallen in love with my pen pal, a woman I've never even seen save for photographs. I know that that probably sounds crazy to you; it sounds crazy to me, and I'm the one in this predicament! But it's true. I've come to love you over the past weeks, more than I ever thought possible, considering the nature of our __relationship-no,__ friendship. I always have to remind myself that it's a friendship we share, not a relationship. It can never be more than that, and that's the hardest part for me. But, I love you. There, I've said it. You're more fascinating, more entertaining, and more fun to talk to than anyone I know here. And I love you, Bella Swan. I love you._

_Edward_

He'd put more emotion into this letter than I'd ever seen from Emmett in all the months we'd been together. Except for the night of the proposal, that is. But Emmett was a man's man, so to speak, and wasn't one to show emotion very often. I was okay with that. He was a tough guy, and I loved him for it. That's part of what made him a good lawyer; he wasn't ruled by feelings. I knew he'd be a good protector for me, and our future children. But every time I read Edward's letter, I wondered if he was right. Would my life have turned out differently if we'd met years ago? Could I have fallen in love with Edward the same way he claimed to have fallen in love with me? I didn't know. It was possible.

I sat there, thinking over possibilities for a long time. I turned over several scenarios in my mind, all of them involving Edward, and none involving Emmett. Before I could allow myself to feel guilty for that, I peered at my watch again. It was 6:35. _Shoot! The plane's already arrived and he's probably already gotten off. _I looked all around me, searching for the bronze hair I'd only ever seen in photos. I couldn't see it anywhere. Abandoning my unread newspaper, I stood up and started walking.

_Okay, think, Bella. Where do you go once you get off an airplane? _Baggage claim. Of course. There were several people from what I assumed was Edward's flight—they were coming from the gate he was scheduled to have arrived in anyway—all headed in the same direction, so I followed them. Sure enough, they led me to one of the many baggage claim areas of the airport. I stretched up on my tiptoes, trying to see over some of the taller travelers, but there was still no sign of him.

_Okay, once you have your bags, and you're in a strange city, what do you need next? _A car, right? Yes, a car. I'd seen the car rental counters on my way through the first time, so I hurried in the direction I remembered having seen them. Luckily, I found them with no trouble. I scanned the line at each counter, and finally, after what seemed like a lifetime of searching, I spotted him. "Edward!" I called, just to make sure. I'd rather be embarrassed by shouting in an airport than by approaching the wrong man. But I didn't have to be embarrassed at all this time; he turned.

My heart clenched when I saw him, his green eyes dancing as he searched the crowd for me, no doubt recognizing my voice. I could tell the second he saw me. He dropped his suitcase and started running toward me. When he reached me, he swept me up in a huge hug, like this was our millionth meeting rather than our first. He lifted me off the ground rather than stooping to my height. He was taller than I'd expecting by a few inches. Not as tall as Emmett, but taller than the man he'd left his bag with, who I assumed was his brother. When he first touched me, I felt an unmistakable jolt of electricity. It was like nothing I'd ever experienced before. I felt the shock of it in my expression, but I quickly returned my face to normal. He set me down, at which point I realized that neither of us had said anything yet, and I started to giggle. _It really is like we're meeting for the millionth time. We don't even feel the need to talk. _"Hey," he said. I could see the happiness in his face. It made him easily the most attractive man I'd ever had the privilege of laying eyes on.

I grinned back at him. "Hey, yourself."

"I wasn't expecting you here," he told me.

"I know. I thought it would be a nice surprise."

"That's an understatement. It's more than _nice_," he told me. Hearing those words physically coming out of his mouth, watching his lips move to form them, and remembering the letter that he'd written many weeks ago, that I'd read for the dozenth time—at least—less than an hour ago, I could see that he was holding back. The actual words held nothing to the nuance behind them. And being here with Edward made me happy. If I were being perfectly honest, it made me happier than I'd been…well, in a long time. I tried to remember the last time I'd been this happy just being around Emmett. It had been before the spa day with Alice, of that I was sure. How long before, though? That was a question I couldn't answer.

We stood there, just gazing into each others' eyes for another minute, then he grabbed me by the hand. The spark was there again, but I forced myself to ignore it. I had to be imagining that, right? It was just excitement in seeing him for real for the first time. He pulled me back to the blond-haired man waiting in the car-rental line. "Bella, this is my brother Jasper. Jasper, Bella," Edward introduced us.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Bella," Jasper said, taking my hand in his and shaking it gently. There was no spark there, imaginary or otherwise. That made me wonder what it was about Edward that caused the reaction.

"Likewise," I said to Jasper, gently eying him up and down. _Yes, I think Alice will be pleased with this match,_ I thought to myself.

Then it was Jasper's turn at the rental counter; he returned to Edward and me just a moment later holding a single key on a ring. "You guys ready?" he asked.

"Yeah. So where are you guys staying?" I asked. Since I was here, I planned to lead them to their hotel.

Edward chuckled once, seeming a little embarrassed, then said, "Actually, at the same hotel that your wedding's at. I just figured it'd be easier that way."

"Well, I suppose that's true," I said. "Okay, well, I'm in short term parking, obviously, so let me go get my truck, and I'll meet you guys over by the rentals. You can follow me to the hotel." Edward grabbed my hand again, and held it all the way to the exit. I knew I should've fought him on that, but I didn't want to. I was thrilled at this meeting and didn't much care what anyone else thought of the simple gesture at that point. I knew the truth, that we were friends. _It's okay for friends to hold hands, right? Of course it is; it's not like you're sleeping with him or anything. Jeez, calm down, Bella. Holding hands is _not_ cheating. _He dropped my hand once we were outside, and I instantly felt lost without it wrapped around mine. _Okay, maybe there _is_ something more here that I need to acknowledge. _I ignored the thought. I couldn't afford to be having these thoughts, not this week.

While I walked toward the short-term parking garage, I pulled out my phone and dialed Emmett's number. It rang four times then went to voicemail. _Weird,_ I thought. _Why would he ask me to call him, then not be around to answer? _After the beep, I left a message letting him know that we were leaving the airport and that I'd be back soon. I climbed into the truck and followed the signs back to the area where the rental companies kept their cars. I spotted Edward and Jasper easily and motioned for them to follow me. Taking surface streets whenever possible so that it would easier for them to keep an eye on me, I led the way to the hotel.

Jasper parked the rental next to the spot I parked the truck in. We walked into the hotel lobby together. I looked at Edward, and I could see in his eyes the gleam of excitement I'd been hoping to see in Emmett's this afternoon. He recognized the beauty of the room, and knew that it was a great spot for a wedding. "Well, this is it," I told them. Jasper, being the one who wasn't meeting a life-long friend for the first time, stepped up to the counter and checked them in. "I wish I could spend more time with you tonight, but I've got to get back to Emmett. I told him I was going to meet you at the airport, and he was supportive, but…" I trailed off. It was more than politeness that made me say those words; I really did want to stay _here,_ with Edward, tonight.

"It's fine, I understand," he told me, and I could see the same hint of sadness in his face that I was feeling. "Thanks for coming to the airport," he said, and his eyes lightened as his mouth stretched into a huge grin.

"What?" I asked, smirking at his smile.

"I just can't believe I'm actually seeing you," he said.

"I know. Me, neither."

Then he reached his hand out toward me again. My arm involuntarily extended toward his, craving that spark once more. When our hands met, it was there again, and I smiled, relishing the feeling. He squeezed my hand in a very loving gesture, almost like a hug but with just hands rather than our whole bodies. Then I had to pull away. It was time to get back to Emmett.

"Good night, Edward. I'm glad you're here."

"Good night, Bella."

I turned and walked to the elevator, pushed the call button and waited. When the doors opened, I entered the tiny area, pressed the button for the fourth floor, and watched Edward disappear as the doors slid shut.

x-x-x

Upon reentering the room, I found Emmett sitting on the couch in the main room, watching a movie on the TV. I sat down beside him, and was surprised and a little unnerved when he didn't acknowledge my presence. "Hi," I said quietly, reaching over to grasp his hand.

He sighed and finally looked over at me. "Hey," he responded. "How was the airport?"

"It was fine," I said. "I almost missed him," I added, avoiding using Edward's name.

"Really? That would've been too bad," he replied, his voice not expressing much interest.

I wasn't sure why he was acting so uninterested in me tonight, but I told the story of how I'd gotten lost in thought and missed the unloading of the plane, then having to search for Edward. Emmett just gave the obligatory "uh-huh's" and head nods of someone who's not really listening to you talk. When I'd finished the tale—having left out certain aspects, such as what I'd been reading that had distracted me, and the hand-holding through the airport—I knew it was time to talk about something other than my pen pal. "So, what did you do, stuck here while I was gone?" I smiled up at him, genuinely interested in what he had to say. Having been with Edward for the past forty minutes had me thinking some things over, and this close to the wedding, I was starting to get nervous. I knew I'd have to spend a lot of time with Emmett this week to make sure I was making the right decision. It had me thinking that perhaps meeting Edward hadn't been such a good idea after all. I forced myself to stop thinking about Edward and to focus on Emmett, the man I had agreed to marry this weekend.

"Nothing much, mostly just watched movies," he told me.

_Hmm. _There wasn't much in that to converse about. I tried, though. "Oh, yeah? What movies? Anything we might watch together sometime?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe."

I raised my eyebrows slightly, beginning to get frustrated with him. "Okay."

We sat silently for several minutes after that, and I found myself getting lost in thought again. This time, however, my thoughts were focused where they should have been this whole time: on Emmett. Why was he being so detached? I wanted to believe him when he said he'd spent the time here watching movies, but usually he was much more animated when talking to me. Especially about movies. Besides the law, movies were his passion. He'd watch any movie he could get his hands on regardless of whether or not he thought he'd enjoy it. And when he found one that he really liked, he was always willing and ready to talk about it in detail. Not to mention watching it again with me. Tonight, this meant that either he was lying about having watched a movie, or the movie he'd seen hadn't been worth talking about. I thought the second scenario was more likely, and definitely hoped that was the case. But, if I was willing to entertain the idea that perhaps we were moving too quickly, maybe he was too.

"What are you thinking?" he asked me suddenly. He sounded concerned; my face must've been very focused. Another case of my 'open-book syndrome.' I hadn't even noticed him watching me.

I sighed. "I don't know how to broach this subject," I said quietly. "I did a lot of thinking while I was waiting for the plane to land," I started.

Emmett nodded, then said, "Yeah, me, too. Well, not while waiting for the plane, exactly, but in general over the past couple of weeks."

"Okay," I said again. "And what have you been thinking about?"

"You. Me. Us," he said.

I swallowed hard, worried about what conclusion he may have come to. "What about us?"

"I don't know, Bella. I just sometimes think maybe this has all happened too fast. But then I think, you know, we're practically living together already, so what's the point in the waiting? It's not like that much will change. I mean, obviously the commitment will be more permanent, but the basic elements of our relationship will stay the same, right?"

I hadn't really thought about it like that. He was right, though. We spent every night together now, at one apartment or the other. The only difference after Saturday would be that there would be no back and forth anymore. "Are you sure you still want to go through with the wedding?" I whispered, needing to know the answer, but terrified to hear it at the same time.

"Yeah, I think so," he said. "I mean, don't think I'm worried about being with you; don't think that that's what I'm saying. These past few months have been the best of my life, Bella, always remember that. And I do love you." He took a deep breath, seeming to debate internally for a moment. I sat quietly and let him stew, wanting to hear what he would say next. "Yes, I'm sure," he finally said. "I wouldn't have asked you if I wasn't sure," he assured me, and I breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Despite my thoughts and dreams about Edward recently, I was sure that I wanted Emmett as well.

The things Edward had written in that letter, the 'mistake,' and his insistence that we did know each other, though we hadn't met until just a few hours ago, made me think that I could be happy with either of the two of them, or by myself. After all, I had spent seven years in college, working and supporting myself, and now I had a good job. I didn't _need_ a man, but if I was being perfectly honest, I had gotten used to having Emmett around. I liked it. I wasn't sure I wanted to go back, though I knew if I had to, I'd survive. "Me, too," I told him, and he smiled at me, finally returning the grasp of our hands. I smiled back.

**Thank you for reading. Feel free to review :).**


	10. Catalyst

**A/N: First the normal stuff: **

**I don't own **_**Twilight**_**. **

**Special thanks to my beta, G, for everything, your friendship most of all :). **

**And of course, to you, for reading.**

**Also, I forgot to mention this at the end of chapter 9, but I posted a link to the song referenced by Edward in his letter on my profile. Maybe someday I'll be able to reference music that isn't Céline Dion in my stories lol… (if you've read my o/s, **_**It's All Coming Back to Me Now, **_**you know what I mean). Now, on to the chapter!**

**CHAPTER TEN: CATALYST  
**

**Bella POV**

As if trying to prove something to each other, Emmett and I spent the majority of Sunday evening in bed. While the sex was good, it felt almost… forced. I couldn't quite pinpoint the difference, but I think it was mostly because it was purely physical. There were very little emotions expressed that night. While my body fell asleep satisfied, my brain tossed and turned all night long, filling my dreams with different scenarios than the one I was living.

When I woke at five-thirty, thirty minutes before the alarm, I rose from the bed. Emmett was still asleep, but we'd never been sleep cuddlers, so I was able to get up without waking him. It didn't matter one way or another to me, but he'd declared early in the relationship that he needed his space while sleeping, so I'd just let the sleeping dog lie so to speak.

The week passed by in a blur of work, dinners out with Emmett, Alice, Rose, Edward and Jasper, and then back to the hotel every night. Things improved drastically between Emmett and me after that first night. Emotions were expressed better than ever, confirming what I'd thought—that Sunday had just been a fluke, simply a difficult day all around. By the end of the week, everything seemed to be back on track.

Friday night was the rehearsal. Mr. Weber, the pastor at the church my parents attended in Forks—though not regularly—had agreed to make the trip to Seattle and perform the ceremony. Heidi, the wedding coordinator provided by the hotel, had spent the day without us getting the banquet room ready. She had a crew moving tables and chairs into place while she had placed small pieces of masking tape on the floor so that the attendants would know where to stand. To compliment Alice and Rosalie on my side, Emmett's two brothers, Paul and Robert, had flown in from Tennessee. The three of them all looked very similar; there was no question that they were brothers. The rest of our early guests—my parents, Emmett's parents, Edward, and Jasper, as well as Heidi—watched from the seating area.

After leading us through the entire ceremony twice, Mr. Weber declared that he thought we were ready for the next day. All we had to do was get through the rest of the night and the ceremony tomorrow, and then start our lives together.

The rehearsal dinner was a great time. It was just the same fourteen of us as had attended the rehearsal, so we pushed together two of the eight-seat tables and ate together, laughed together, and drank together for several hours. Mr. Weber and Heidi were the first to leave, and the parents followed fairly soon after them. By ten, it was just us "kids," and by eleven-thirty, we were all ready to head to bed, too.

I grabbed Emmett's hand and started following him up to the room we'd shared all week long. Before we'd even left the banquet hall, though, Alice had grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me away.

"What are you doing?" I protested.

"You're staying with me tonight," she announced smugly.

"No, I'm not," I told her firmly, stopping in my tracks. No one else noticed our little exchange, and they all continued walking. Within just a few seconds, we were alone.

"It's just one night, Bella," she told me when I whined at her. "You two have the rest of your lives to be together. You can manage one night."

"Don't you remember what happened _last_ time I requested to spend a night away from him?" I reminded her in a harsh whisper.

"Yes, I do," she said, "but this time is different."

"How is this time different?"

"Well, for starters, you won't be alone this time. You'll be with me. Plus, Edward's already here, you've met, that relationship is more defined now…" I suppressed a giggle, which ended up sounding like a snort. Edward's and my relationship was anything but defined. Alice either didn't notice or ignored me, continuing as if she hadn't been interrupted at all. "And, you'll just be down the hall from him. _If_ something comes up—and that's a big if—you guys will be close enough to deal."

I sighed, realizing that she'd thought this plan through and wasn't going to let me out of it. Then, as if reading my mind, she said, "You're not getting out of this, Bella."

"Hey, Alice, not tonight. Okay?" Emmett spoke up, walking back over to us. "I need to talk to Bella."

Alice looked taken aback. She wasn't accustomed to not getting her way; no one ever argued with her because everyone knew that her personality made up for her petite size. So when Emmett told her _not tonight_, she was so surprised that she immediately backed down, not knowing how else to handle the situation. "Oh. Okay. Well, I guess I'll see you in the morning, then, Bella."

I nodded at her, a little nervous suddenly about Emmett's insistence that we spend the night together tonight. I figured if he had something he wanted to talk about, though, I wasn't going to argue. Although now I was thinking that perhaps Alice was a safer bet tonight.

He pulled out his key card and opened the door to the suite. I noticed the lack of contact. He hadn't held my hand again after Alice had pulled me away, even after he'd insisted that we would be spending the night together after all. Thinking back, he'd been kind of distant all night. His eyes had looked glazed over during the entire rehearsal, as if he wasn't really paying attention to Pastor Weber. And when we'd left the banquet hall, he hadn't taken my hand; I'd taken his.

I hadn't realized that I'd stopped walking to process all of these thoughts, and when I pulled myself out of my reverie, Emmett was sitting on the white couch in the main room, not looking anywhere in particular, and definitely not at me. My hands were shaking, and I walked on wobbly legs over to the couch and sat next to him. I didn't say anything for several minutes, until finally, I just couldn't stand it anymore. "What's going on?" I placed my hand on his knee and he winced and pulled away. Blinking back tears, I removed my shaking hand and clasped it around my own knee instead.

"I'm sorry, Bella," he began, "but I can't do this." His voice sounded as uncomfortable and emotional as I felt.

"What?"

"I need you to know that I love you, I really do. But I'm just not ready to commit."

"What are you saying?"

"I can't marry you tomorrow."

My tears were flowing freely now. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Why not?"

"I love you, Bella, but I'm not _in love_ with you. I thought I was, but then you brought Rosalie over the other week, and…"

I interrupted him before he could go on. "Rosalie? Have you been sleeping with one of my friends? And bridesmaid?"

"No, no, Bella, I swear. I have not slept with her, I promise you that."

"Have you been seeing her?"

"Yes."

I felt like I'd been kicked in the chest by a horse. A big horse, a Clydesdale maybe. I couldn't breathe and I wasn't sure I could talk. I knew that I had to, though. I had to make sense of this situation. "So, you're dumping me the night before our wedding for Rose?"

"God, Bella, I'm sorry. I know this sounds horrible. Hell, it _is_ horrible, _I'm_ horrible, and I wish this wasn't happening. But it is. I just couldn't go through with this knowing that I want to be with her instead."

I was in shock. I didn't know what to do, so I did the only thing I could think of. I accepted his words, his decision. Slipping my engagement ring off of my finger and placing it in the palm of his hand, I said, "Thank you for your honesty. I probably shouldn't stay here tonight, though." I stood to go. "I guess I'll see you around." My voice broke halfway through the last sentence. "I'll be by in the morning to get my things."

Turning quickly, I walked out the door of the suite, pulling it shut behind me and backing into the hallway until I couldn't walk any further. When my back hit a hard surface, I slid to the floor and cried.

**Edward **

I was lying in bed, but far from sleep. I'd had a great time all week long getting to know Bella and her friend Alice. Bella had been right about Alice and Jasper, too. They were really hitting it off well. It was a shame that Jasper and I were leaving the following night. Thinking through the various happenings of the week, and the fact that Bella was indeed going to marry _him_ tomorrow, sleep eluded me. I listened to my brother's light snores from the other bed, but even his slow, even breathing didn't relax my mind enough for me to fall asleep. The clock read 12:12 a.m. when that I heard a low, soft _thump_ come from the other side of my door. It was quiet enough that I wasn't even sure I'd heard it at all. But since I was awake anyway, I stood and walked to the entryway to investigate.

I opened the door slowly, not wanting to make a ruckus in case I'd imagined the sound. Once the door had been moved aside, Bella nearly fell backward; I somehow managed to stoop down and get my arms open in time to catch her before she hit the floor. I was pleasantly surprised to find her there until I realized that she was crying.

"Bella, what's wrong?"

She didn't respond, she just kept crying. I turned her around, wrapped my arms around her, and patted her hair in what I hoped was a comforting gesture. I couldn't help but think that perhaps I wasn't the one who should be soothing her; where was Emmett? But if he wasn't going to take care of her, I was. "Shh, shh, Bella, it's okay. I'm here. You can talk to me," I chanted in a calming voice.

She still didn't talk, but her sobs were slowing. It was slow going, but somehow, my arms and my words were soothing to her. We sat there on the floor in the doorway for a long time, while I hugged her and chanted relaxing words into her ear. If she hadn't been so upset, it would have been my own personal heaven. Time seemed to stand still; while I knew we'd been in the doorway for quite a while, I didn't tire. When Bella's cries finally subsided, I asked her, "Are you alright?"

"No," she said quietly, simply.

"Do you want to come in?"

She nodded. I guided her into the simple room and we sat down on my bed while Jasper still slept in the second bed. "Do you want to talk to me?" I asked gently. Another nod, but she didn't say anything. The words from my letter played in my head: _If you ever need me, I am here for you._ And now, she obviously needed me. I wouldn't push her, though. I was pretty sure she'd talk when she was ready.

Ten more minutes passed before she moved. I'd kept my arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders during that time, and she hadn't protested. This made me wonder again where her fiancé was. He should be the one here, comforting her. Unless… "Did something happen with Emmett?" I whispered, not wanting to wake Jasper.

"Yeah," she whispered back.

I took the fact that she answered me verbally to mean that she was ready to talk. I hoped so, anyway. "Are you ready to tell me?"

I had to listen carefully, because as soon as she starting talking, her sobs returned. "Alice wanted me to spend the night with her tonight, but Emmett said no, because he wanted to talk to me." A huge sob wracked her body before she continued. "He doesn't," another sob, "want to," and another, "marry me."

I heard her words, but I didn't understand them. My face must have given away the question in my brain, because she answered it with just one word. "Rosalie."

I could feel my eyes pop. The sobs started racking her body again. I knew I probably wouldn't get another word out of her, not tonight, anyway, but I asked the question anyway. "Emmett was with Rosalie? Your friend Rosalie?"

"No. Not tonight. And he told me that he hasn't slept with her. But he's been seeing her behind my back, and he wants to be with her instead." I was surprised that she'd answered me, and even more surprised that she'd remained coherent.

I knew that what she needed tonight more than anything was a friend. So I pulled her closer into my chest, and held her. "Do you want to go spend the night with Alice tonight?" She shook her head. "You want to stay here with me?" A nod. Supporting her weight against my shoulder, I stood us both up and pulled the blankets down away from the pillows, and then gently laid her on the sheet. I lay down next to her and pulled the blanket back over the both of us. There was nothing sexual or arousing about it, though, unlike the many times I'd fantasized about having Bella in my bed. Tonight was all about friendship. And as her friend, I held her until we both fell asleep.

x-x-x

When I awoke, I glanced at the red digits of the hotel-provided alarm clock. It was just after six in the morning. As the events of the previous night replayed in my mind, I rolled over, half expecting to find the bed empty. It had to have been a dream; Bella hadn't come to my room last night after having been dumped on the eve of her wedding by her fiancé who had secretly been seeing one of her best friends behind her back. But there she was, sleeping angelically. Despite the early hour, there were things that had to be taken care of immediately, though.

"Bella. Wake up," I said, shaking her gently.

"Mmm," she mumbled, rolling away from me.

"No. Bella, you really need to wake up. I need to talk to you."

She moaned again, but turned back to face me. When she opened her eyes, she looked shocked to see me. I wondered how much of the previous night she would remember; there had been wine at the rehearsal, and while she hadn't seemed drunk last night, I knew she'd had a few glasses. She blinked a few times, then muttered, "So it really happened."

"You remember why you're here, in my bed?"

"Yeah. Stupid cheating Emmett breaking up with me instead of marrying me."

Try as I might, I couldn't keep my hands off of her. I stroked her face gently and asked, "So, what are you going to do?" It was a simple question, but one filled with a much deeper meaning.

"I don't know. I need to talk to Alice and to my parents, but after that, I just don't know. I guess I should go home. Time to move on, right?"

"I don't blame you for coming to that conclusion. However, there are going to be people showing up here for a wedding today. What are you going to tell them?"

"_I'm_ not going to tell them anything. _He_ can deal with them. _He_ can pay all the cancellation fees, too. _I_ was in love with him, ready to marry him, until _he_ broke up with _me_ last night. This is not my fault, and I'm not going to deal with it. Thank you for being here for me. I didn't even know where I was, but I'm glad it was your door I crashed into."

"I told you I'd always be here for you," I reminded her.

"Well, I guess I'd better get this over with." She frowned. "Before it gets much later. Then I've got to get out of here."

At her last sentence, I had a sudden inspiration. It was crazy, and I didn't know whether or not she'd agree, but I blurted it out anyway. "Come back to Chicago with me."

"What?"

"Come to Chicago with me. You've got vacation already taken for your honeymoon, right?" She nodded in affirmation. "Well, you obviously aren't going to be taking that trip, so come with me. It'll give you the cooling down you need after this. I'll even buy your ticket."

"Let me think about it."

"Okay. But come. Please."

She gave me a tiny smile, and then walked to the bathroom. Once she'd finished and come back out to the main area, she said, "I'll think about it. For now, though, I have some business to attend to." And she walked out the door without giving me a chance to respond.

I sat up in the bed, and looked over to see Jasper very much awake. "How much of that did you hear?"

"Enough to know that you're giving away my ticket home," he teased.

"I am not. I said I'd buy her a new ticket."

"I know, I'm kidding. What's going on, though? Why is the bride in our room this early in the morning? At all, actually?"

I almost said _it's a long story,_ but I realized before I spoke that that wasn't really the case. It was a tragic story, but not a long one. "Emmett dumped her last night."

"No way!"

"Yeah."

He let out a low whistle. "Wow, that sucks. Poor Bella."

I continued the story. "So, she didn't know where she was, but she ended up with her back bumping against our door. I thought I heard a sound, so I went to check it out, and she was there, crying her eyes out. I brought her in here and she said she wanted to stay with me for the night."

"Wait, wait, wait. You didn't… I mean, she didn't… You guys didn't, you know, do anything stupid, did you?"

"What? No, of course not," I told him honestly. "It wasn't about that at all. Last night was just friendship."

He let out a breath, visibly relieved. Then he said, "And now you've invited her home with you? What's that about?"

"She's got the time off anyway. She may as well get a vacation out of the deal."

"That's true, I suppose."

A timid knock on the door interrupted any further conversation. I rose from the bed where I had been sitting and walked over to answer it. Bella stood there, eyes red from fresh tears, but looking solid in her resolve. Her red pull-along suitcase sat on the floor next to her feet. "I told Alice. And my parents. So, I'm going to go, I guess. I don't really have any reason to stay here, in the hotel, any longer. I'll call you in a bit. Thanks again for being there for me last night."

She turned to leave, but I protested. "Bella, wait. Where are you going right now?"

"I don't know."

"Let me come. I want to keep you safe."

She just shrugged. It wasn't a 'no,' so I slipped on my shoes, tied them quickly, and wrapped my arm around her waist as we rode the elevator to the lobby, then exited the building quickly before anyone could stop us.

In the parking lot, I unlocked the rental Jasper had procured for us six days previously. Bella was in no condition to drive; I didn't want her to get into an accident. We drove in silence for several minutes. We were on the interstate, heading out of the city when she finally spoke. "I'll go."

"What?"

"I'll come with you to Chicago. I need a fresh start."

"Wait, what? A fresh start?"

"Well, I can't very well continue working at ACU with him. I'm not even sure I want to live in the same city as him anymore."

"What are you saying, Bella?"

"I'll start by coming with you for my vacation time. But, if it's okay with you, I may not leave."

**Thanks for reading, please review.**


	11. Welcome to Chicago

**A/N: I don't own **_**Twilight**_**. **

**Special thanks to my friends, Gerri (super beta extraordinaire) and Rory (the best pre-reader a girl could hope for), for making my story look like a super hero with their beautiful red and blue correction marks :). **

**And of course, thanks to you, for reading.**

**CHAPTER ELEVEN: WELCOME TO CHICAGO**

**Bella POV**

Twelve hours later I was sitting on an airplane next to Edward. I was still reeling from the turn my life had taken in the past day. I tried not to think about all the plans I had made with Emmett, the good times we shared and our wedding that never came to pass, since every time I did, tears fell from my eyes. I'd thought things had been perfect. Emmett's actions had totally hit me out of left field, and despite the fact that I thought I was in love with him, I was ready to make a clean break. That's why I'd agreed to go to Chicago with Edward.

Edward had looked shocked when I'd suggested that perhaps my 'vacation' to Chicago would become more than a short trip, but I'd meant what I said. There was no part of me that wanted to see Emmett again. Ever. I knew that was unrealistic based on the nature of all the relationships surrounding me, but I was determined to keep future encounters to a minimum. And if that meant moving two thousand miles away, I would do it. I hated that this situation was causing me to consider moving so far away from my parents, but even the fact that I could live close to them wasn't enough incentive for me to stay in Seattle any longer. I just had this overwhelmingly strong desire to flee, and going where Edward would be somehow just seemed like the right place for me. And with that simple truth, as much as I'd loved—or at least thought I'd loved, I still wasn't sure—Emmett yesterday, I just knew I wanted to get the heck away from him and everything associated with him today.

The memory of telling my parents the wedding was off and I was leaving was foremost in my mind; it had been probably the hardest thing I'd ever had to do in my entire life.

_I knocked gently on the door to their room in the hotel. My hands were shaking. What had happened the previous night? I'd been supposed to spend the night with Alice on the eve of my wedding, but instead, I'd been ditched and ended up sleeping in Edward's bed with him. It didn't even matter that nothing had happened, I just knew they'd be disappointed, both in the cancellation as well as my indiscretion regarding where I'd spent the night. I should have gone to Alice's room. Or slept on the couch in the suite. Or made Emmett sleep on the couch in the suite. Any number of things besides what I'd done. And that didn't even take into account Edward's request or—even worse—the fact that I'd agreed to go back to Chicago with him. And heavily hinted that I might never leave. What have I done? "Oh, stop it, Bella, you did nothing wrong, for heaven's sake, Edward was there when you needed someone and he has offered you a way out of this town and you _need_ to go; Mom and Dad will just have to under…"_

_The door opened effectively putting an end to my brooding. "Bella?" My mother looked surprised to see me. "What's wrong, honey? Shouldn't you be with Alice, getting ready?"_

_The sobs wracked my body. I couldn't help it. "No, Mom." I could barely get the words out. "There's…" I couldn't finish the sentence._

_My mother's arms wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me into her chest and rubbing soothing circles on my back. "It's okay, Bella, whatever it is, you can tell us. Come on in, sweetie," she said, slowly pulling me into the room. I numbly followed her, and when we reached the bed we sat down together. I sat silently, just letting my mother hold me for several minutes. It took until my dad came out of the bathroom in their room before I realized that he hadn't been in the room._

"_What's wrong with Bella?" he asked my mother, obviously uncomfortable with the emotion I was showing. _

"_Classy, dear," she chastised him. "You can talk _to_ your daughter, you know. Just because she's upset doesn't mean that you have to shut down and avoid all things emotional."_

_I felt the bed shift on the other side of me as my dad sat down and gingerly patted my shoulder. "I'm sure it's not so bad, Bella. What's going on?"_

"_Emmett." Sob. "Broke up." Sob. "With me." Sob. "Last night."_

"_What?" My parents exclaimed simultaneously._

"_Are you sure, Bella? Maybe he's just gotten cold feet? Maybe we can still fix this?" my mother asked._

"_No, Mom, he said there's someone else," I hiccoughed. _

_At the same time, my father blurted out, "Where is he?"_

"_No, Dad. Please, don't go looking for him." His outburst brought me to my senses more quickly than anything else could have. _

"_Oh, Bella, baby, I'm so sorry," my mother said quietly, continuing to hug me and rub those same circles all over my upper back. "Do you want to come home for awhile until you sort things out?"_

_Now I'd gone from upset over the breakup to nervous about telling them my intentions for the next week. "Er, no, Mom. Actually, I'm going to, um, spend some more time with Edward. I told him about what happened with Emmett and he wants to be there for me, so he offered for me to come back to Chicago with him. And I told him yes. I know the timing seems wrong but I don't know Mom, going with him just feels like the right thing to do right now."_

"_Oh. That's unexpected."_

"_I know. But I can't stay here right now. I need to get out of the city for awhile and maybe there's no better time than now to get to know my pen pal better."_

"_Well, I suppose that's reasonable. But you're coming back at the end of the week, right?"_

"_Yeah, Mom. I'm coming back." I wasn't sure whether or not to feel guilty for not telling them the whole truth about possibly staying in Chicago. At that point, nothing had been decided and even if I stayed I would have to come back to Seattle for a little while to collect my things, quit my job and to say goodbye. That thought brought a whole new round of tears to my eyes. My mom gripped my shoulders pulling me into a tight hug._

My fingers were tensed around the armrest—much the same way they'd been squeezing my mother earlier that morning—and Edward gently pulled them apart. "Nervous flyer?" he chuckled, turning his attention away from Jasper, who was sitting on his other side.

"Actually, no," I said, pulling my thoughts back to where I was rather than where they'd been. "I was just thinking about what happened."

Like the first day we'd met, Edward wrapped my hand in his, holding it securely. It was nice. "I'm sorry."

All I could do was sigh. I wanted to tell him that it was okay, or that I'd be fine. The first definitely wasn't true, and I wasn't sure how long it would take before the second one came true. I hoped that I _would_ be okay one day, and sooner rather than later. But since I couldn't say either of those things now, instead I said, "Thank you." He seemed to be able to read the thoughts that played in my mind, and rather than responding he just squeezed my hand again.

We sat that way for a long time, not talking, just quietly holding hands, fingers intertwined. My eyes started to droop and I allowed them to close. It had been a trying day—a trying couple of days, actually—and I needed the rest. When I woke up, the pilot was announcing our descent into O'Hare. "Good timing," Edward joked, noticing my eyes flutter open. I was surprised to see that he had lifted up the armrest between our two seats and had wrapped one arm around me, allowing me to lean against him while I slept. When he saw that I had noticed that, he said, "I hope this was okay. I just thought you'd be more comfortable this way than slumped over in your seat."

I felt like I should have been upset that he'd felt comfortable putting us in such an intimate position. But after everything I'd been through, I found it nice, not inappropriate at all. Things with Edward were always so easy. "It's fine. Thank you," I told him. I didn't want to sit up properly yet, but since I had to due to the fact that the plane was landing, I scooted as close to him as I could, still craving that cuddling. As soon as he realized what I was doing, Edward smirked down at me before continuing his conversation with Jasper.

Before I could doze off again, I felt the slight jarring of the plane's wheels hitting the tarmac. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Chicago," the pilot's voice came over the intercom. I couldn't keep the smile off my face. I took a deep, cleansing breath, glad to be two thousand miles away from my problems.

The older lady in the seat in front of us stood before we did; she turned around and peered down at us, smiling when she noticed our embrace. "Well, aren't you two adorable. So happy and in love," she cooed.

"Oh, we're not…" Edward began, starting to extract his arm from around me.

But I leaned in closer. I wasn't ready for him to let go yet. "Thank you," I told her, interrupting him.

An hour later, we were climbing into his car in the long term parking garage. Jasper insisted on sitting in the backseat against my many protests. My eyes grew large when we pulled into a large circular driveway on the edge of town. "Don't tell me this is your house," I murmured, awed by the beauty of the stone house.

"No," he chuckled gently. "This is my parents' house. We're dropping Jasper off."

"Wow, you grew up here?"

"Yes. Inside, it's just another house, though."

"I doubt that very much. Didn't you once tell me that your mom is an interior designer?"

"She is."

"Well, then, I'm sure the house is gorgeous inside, too."

"Would you like to come in and see for yourself?" Jasper interjected. "Mom and Dad won't mind. I'm sure they'd love to meet you."

I looked over at Edward, leaving this decision up to him. "Er, Jasper, I'm not sure that's the best idea for tonight," Edward said. "Mom and Dad aren't exactly expecting Bella to be here. I think I'd prefer to call them tomorrow and set up an actual meeting rather than just springing this on them."

Jasper shrugged. "Alright, whatever you want." He opened the back door and stepped out of the car. "I'll see you…sometime, then. It was nice to meet you, Bella. Oh, and thanks for Alice. She's amazing. I can't wait to get back to Seattle to see her again."

I grinned at him, glad my matchmaking skills had been spot-on this time. Alice had given me a similar thank you this morning. "I'm glad it worked out between you two. Alice is quite smitten with you as well," I told him seriously.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

He didn't respond verbally, but his grin stretched to cover his entire face.

Then he turned and was gone.

"So, does your older brother really still live at home?" It may have been a rude question, but I couldn't help it.

Edward just laughed at my assessment. "Normally, he's not home for more than a couple of weeks at a time, so yeah, he does stay there. I think he'll probably look for a place of his own pretty soon, though, because he's not expected to deploy again for awhile."

"Oh? Does he already have his next orders?"

"No. When he came home this time, he was told he'd be here at least through the summer, maybe longer. He's been gone a lot the past few years, so they might want him to stay State-side for awhile. You know, to make sure he doesn't have PTSD or anything."

"That makes sense."

"Yeah."

We fell into a comfortable silence after that. I looked over at him and felt the smile spread across my face. It was nice. Though the 'tragedy' had happened less than twenty-four hours ago, somehow being with Edward made it better. I was able to put Emmett and Rose out of my mind—for the most part, anyway. He looked over at me while I was staring at him and smiled a crooked smile. I immediately blushed and dropped my gaze. "Don't. It's fine. I like that you were looking at me," he said. That just made the blush deepen but not out of embarrassment this time; I was pleased that he liked it.

"How is this happening?" I murmured.

"How is what happening?"

"Well, I was supposed to be getting married today. That didn't happen. Instead, I'm in Chicago, with you."

"Oh. That."

"Yeah."

"We both know how that happened. And I'm guessing you don't actually want to talk about it, but let me just say this, I'm very glad you're here."

I thought about that for a moment. It probably would have been healthy for me to talk about, but he was right. I didn't _want_ to talk about it _now_. So I forced myself to stop thinking about it, too. "You're right and I'm really glad I'm here too. Thank you again, by the way," I told him, reaching my hand over and resting it on his thigh.

He started at my touch, but relaxed again quickly as he removed his hand from the stick-shift and wrapped it around my hand. "You don't have to keep thanking me."

"I know, I just really mean it, though." The combination of resting my hand on his leg and Edward wrapping his long fingers around mine sent a tingling sensation through me which was kind of thrilling, but really comforting too.

"This is nice, your hand there," he said, as he started rubbing his thumb across the back of my hand.

"I like it, too," I said quietly, surprising myself by the truth in those words. He looked over at me and smiled again. I smiled back. I found myself feeling so content and at peace in his presence, that I turned in his direction trying to scoot over as much as I could in the bucket seat. I just wanted to be as close to him as possible.

Before much time had passed, Edward had pulled into his underground parking garage, into the spot reserved for his car and turned the ignition off. The whole way from his parents' house to his apartment, other than when he had to change gears—pulling his fingers out from my grasp and then replacing them again—Edward held my hand on his lap. He smiled at me and gave my hand a gentle squeeze before letting go, as he stepped out of the car and rushed around to open my door for me before I had time to scoot around in my seat. Once we were both standing in the parking lot, I stretched up onto my toes and placed my hands against his chest and a kiss along his perfectly sculpted jaw without even thinking. When I pulled away, I quickly apologized for acting so impulsively, "I'm sorry, I hope that was okay, I just really wanted to, um… do that?" I looked down and then back up revealing my usual tell-tale sign of embarrassment—I turned pink.

He returned my smile and told me, "Anytime," and leaning in close to me, he ran the back of his fingers down my cheek, "This by the way…I really like," which only made me blush deeper.

He popped the trunk and grabbed both of our suitcases out of it. I reached for mine but he wouldn't have that. "No, I've got it."

"It's okay, I can pull my own suitcase," I insisted.

"No."

"Alright," I agreed. If he wanted to be chivalrous, I would let him. Since this left both of his hands occupied, however, I hooked my arm through his.

When we entered his building, he greeted his doorman with a friendly, "Hello, James."

The man, James, eyed me up and down, making me uncomfortable, before acknowledging Edward's greeting. I squirmed against Edward's side, and James finally spoke. "Good evening, Dr. Cullen. Can I help you with your bags?" Though he spoke to Edward, his eyes never left me.

Edward had felt my body tense at James' reaction to me, and thankfully didn't take him up on his offer. "No, thank you. I've got it."

"Very well, sir."

"Good night, James."

"Good night."

When we were safely in the elevator, I asked, "What's up with him?"

"What do you mean?"

"He spent that entire conversation staring at me."

"Oh, that's just James. He ogles all the beautiful women who live here. You have nothing to be worried about though, I'm sure he's harmless."

"Okay, if you're sure." Since we were in the elevator, Edward had let go of the luggage handles. I stepped closer to his side and gazed up at him, smiling and silently questioning if it was okay to do what I was about to do. I placed my arms around his waist and he returned my smile—telling me silently that it was—as he put his arms around my shoulders and held me to him. He felt so good, so warm and so _right. _Why was that though? Why did it feel so good to be this close to him? Was I just rebounding? It would be so wrong to use Edward like that. But it didn't feel that way. If I was really being honest with myself, this is what I'd wanted for a long time: a chance to be with him, and now there was nothing getting in the way of us being together anymore.

The elevator door opened soon after and Edward let go of me to collect the luggage. He extended his elbow out for me to take which I readily obliged him, slipping my hand around his arm. We walked silently past several doors until he finally stopped in front of the one labeled 6F. After setting the luggage down, he removed his key ring from his pocket and unlocked and opened the door. Edward held it open for me to enter first and then followed quickly behind, the luggage in tow. The second the door was shut behind us, I was facing him again, as he immediately dropped the suitcases and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me against him for a hug.

"So what would you like to do first; how about a tour of the apartment?" he asked.

"If it's okay with you, the tour can wait. I'd really like to get to bed early. I'm pretty tired."

"Oh, okay, well I'll show you where the guest room is, unless you would prefer my room because it has a private bathroom and I could take the…"

"Edward, I meant I would like to go to bed and for you to join me. I mean, if you want to, I'd like to sleep next to you?"

"Sure, Bella." He beamed and took my hand in his and the handle of my suitcase in his other hand and pulled me along beside him until we reached his bedroom. "You can use the washroom in here to change and get ready for bed; I'll just get my things and use the washroom down the hall, okay?

"Okay."

"Do you… Do you need anything else?"He sounded kind of nervous. Or excited maybe.

"No, I'm fine, but if you do…?"

"No, no, I don't need anything either." He opened a drawer and pulled out some pajama pants and exited the room, while I unzipped my suitcase. I retrieved my salmon colored nightie from my luggage, discarded my clothes and got ready for bed in Edward's bathroom which was surprisingly very neat and clean, considering he didn't know he was going to have company staying with him when he left here to meet me less than a week ago. Only five days ago, I finally met Edward; it didn't seem real that I just met him such a short time ago when I'd known him for over half my life. _I feel so comfortable with him and I trust him so much; I just know he would never do to me what Emmett did. Whoa, stop! I'm not going to think about _him_; I've wasted too much time on him already, so not a moment more. _

I folded my clothes and set them on top of my suitcase after I left the washroom. There was a dim light shining from a floor lamp in the far corner, illuminating the room with a soft glow. After my eyes adjusted to the near darkness I saw Edward's eyes on me as he waited for me in his bed. I didn't waste any time going to him and slipping under the sheets beside him. He slid an arm under my shoulders and hugged me to him as soon as I was situated. It felt so nice to be in his arms, like I belonged.

Edward raised himself up on his elbow and gazed into my eyes as he moved his free arm over me and moved an errant lock of hair from my cheek, placing it behind my ear and then gently grasped my shoulder in his hand and rubbed his thumb and fingers down my arm from my shoulder to my wrist, and back again, slowly… His touch felt so amazing, giving me a tingling sensation all over. He leaned in then and kissed my forehead, a slow and gentle kiss. He made me feel so cherished, so special to him, like he really cared about me; I realized that he did and I cared for him too.

He had my full attention as he stared once again in my eyes, and he said, "I can't tell you how much it means to me to have you here. I am so happy that you chose to come home with me and to stay for however long you decide to stay; I just want you to know that I _want_ you to stay and I hope you choose to never leave." He kissed me on my nose, I think to lighten the moment, and it worked as the gesture made me giggle. So he kissed me there again, smiling his crooked grin at me all the while. He then ran his fingers through my hair down the side of my head and as he did, I realized what I wanted most in that moment. I wanted Edward so I told him so.

"Edward, please kiss me?" He continued to stroke the side of my head and my hair there as he lowered his head and gave me a slow and passionate kiss on my lips. He raised his head to see my face and I didn't give him a chance to say anything else as I reached up and slipped my hand behind his head pulling it down to me and kissing him with more urgency, which he returned in kind. I wasn't sure if it was too soon or if we really should've waited but I decided not to think any more about that and just go with what I wanted. So I reached my other arm around his glorious bare back and ran my fingers up and down his spine. He felt so lean and strong, his skin soft to the touch.

Edward stopped kissing me then and with a deep raspy voice he asked me, "Are you sure you're alright with this? We don't have to do this, if it's too soo…"

"I want to. Please Edward, make love to me?" I pulled away from him a little as I sat up enough to pull my nightie off over my head, tossed it to the side and lying back on the bed, I reached out to Edward who was still leaning on his side up on his elbow.

"You're so beautiful Bella," he said, as he gazed over me and put his free hand on my waist, splaying his fingers out over my hip. He resumed kissing my mouth taking his time to be gentle and soft, yet passionate and intense and eventually opening his mouth to me, taking my bottom lip in between his and then he licked the crease between my lips and I opened to allow him entry. Kissing Edward felt so good, so natural; I could kiss him all day long. He felt so amazing and he tasted like cinnamon— the same toothpaste I used.

He ran his fingers down my abdomen ever so slowly and across my hair line there before moving them up my body through the valley between my breasts and then gently slipped his hand around one and then the other cupping them in his hands, rubbing his thumb languidly in circles around my nipples and across my taut peaks. Everything he was doing to me felt so amazingly good; I didn't want him to ever stop.

He shifted his weight up to his knees and sat up leaning back on his heels, as he quickly removed his sleep pants and revealed himself to me. He took my breath away; he was so perfect, with his long, lean, lightly muscled body and wide shoulders and he was so big. He moved to kneel between my bent legs as I opened my thighs to make room for him. He put his hands on them and ran the palms of his hands up my legs until they joined in the center. He opened my folds and ran his thumbs up and down the wetness there and placed one of them on my most sensitive spot rubbing ever so slowly in circles, making me moan to his touch.

"So beautiful," he said again, as he looked at my core and gradually moved his eyes up my body to my face, settling on my eyes. I didn't feel nervous or self-conscious with Edward looking at me or touching me. I only felt good, so good. He was so close to me I couldn't help but reach out to touch him taking his erection into my hand, and moving my hand against him as he closed his eyes and groaned with pleasure.

"Edward, please, now," I didn't want to wait any longer to be as close to him as possible. He ran his hands up my body and massaged both of my breasts for a moment longer before placing his hand on the bed beside my head and leaning down to kiss me as he positioned himself at my opening and entered me slowly, until he filled me completely; he stilled momentarily, giving me time to adjust to him and then he started to move and he felt so… perfect. I lifted my legs and wrapped them around his waist, my arms around his back, running my hands up and down his smooth skin and into his lusciously soft hair as well.

"Oh, Bella," he rasped. I pulled his head down to mine because I needed to kiss him again. He kissed my open mouth with his, urgently lapping at my tongue as I lapped at his in return… _mm, so good_. His thrusts were slow and almost…meticulous, at first, perfectly aligned with the movements of our mouths and then intensified with the urgency of our kisses. After a moment, he moved his hand down and started rubbing me with his thumb, the additional sensation practically driving me over the edge; he felt so good, too good. I wanted to last, and for him to last, because I loved being so intimate with him, feeling him inside me, outside me, smelling his glorious scent. I felt lost in him… just where I wanted to be and I never wanted it to end. I couldn't put off cumming any longer, though; I didn't have the stamina left to fight the urge. And just like that, I let go and my body clenched hard around his and I came hard around him.

"Oh, Bella, I feel you clenching around me, you feel amazing," he whispered.

"So do you." I was barely able to get the words out. He sat back on his heels again bringing me with him, lifting my hips onto his thighs; he held me in place and continued to thrust inside me, a little harder this time. This new angle felt so good and made me lose control again. My panting picked up and before I knew it, I felt myself tightening around him once more. This time it was too much for him to handle, too, and he cried out as his own release flooded through him.

We were both exhausted, completely satiated and spent, but that didn't stop him from pulling me up off the bed into his arms and holding me on his lap, tightly against his chest and I wrapped my arms around him as we both clung to each other and tried to regain control over our breathing. We were like one body fused together, all sweaty and panting and needy and _perfect_. After a while he petted my sweaty and tangled hair hanging down my back and then reached up to support the back of my head while he pulled away enough to look in my eyes, like he was checking to see if I was okay and he kissed my forehead briefly before he pulled me tight against him again and my head against his chest. "That was wonderful Bella, but how do you feel?" he asked.

"I feel so tired, but I'm happy," I smiled, "And you?"

"That's good. I'm happy too." He held me against him for the longest while, neither of us wanting to let go. Eventually, he lowered me carefully down to the bed, slipping out of me as he did. He put his arm around me and pulled the covers up as I rested my head on his chest, one arm across his torso, and he put his other arm on top of mine. I felt so tired and could no longer keep my eyes open. I started to doze as I heard him mumble, "I'm so glad you're here."

I tried to answer, coherently, but the words came out too soft to hear, "glad I'm here too."

I opened my eyes for a couple of seconds and smiled at him; he was still watching me and I heard him say, "Welcome to Chicago, Bella," and smiled back at me as he closed his eyes.

With his arms still wrapped around me, I allowed my eyes to close again too. I think we both fell asleep with smiles on our faces that night.

**How's that for a welcome to Chicago? Are you surprised that they slept together so soon? Was it too soon, do you think? Should they have waited? Will they have regrets? Or maybe the timing was just right. Perhaps she wasn't really in-love with Emmett after all; what do you think? I hope you enjoyed it. Click 'review' and let me know!**


	12. Definitions

**A/N: Just the normal stuff: **

**I don't own **_**Twilight**_**. **

**Special thanks to my friends Gerri (super beta) and Rory (the best prereader a girl could hope for) for making my story look like a super hero with their beautiful red and blue correction marks.  
**

**And of course, thanks to you, for reading.**

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

**Edward POV**

I woke up startled, my mind reeling from the previous night's…activities. There's no way it could have actually happened. And yet, here she was, lying in _my_ bed, wrapped in _my_ arms_, _and we were both completely naked. The room was still fairly dark, so I reluctantly released my grip on Bella's sleeping form to roll over and look at the digital alarm clock. It was just after five in the morning. I knew that it was Sunday, so I didn't have to worry about getting ready for work.

Work. Ugh. I hadn't thought about work when I'd invited Bella here for the remainder of her vacation. But I knew there would be no getting out of work this week, especially if I intended to accompany her back to Seattle when her vacation time was up. Which I did. There was no way I expected her to go back there by herself. To face him. Even thinking about the possibility was uncomfortable, so I stopped. I turned my focus back to the sleeping beauty in my bed.

Amazingly, I wasn't tired, even after the day of travel yesterday. Sleep had come easily with Bella here in my arms. I'd dreamed of that for weeks, and had finally made my peace with the fact that it'd never happen just few days ago. I'd kept the hope until after I met her, and for the first few days of my trip. But she'd looked so content with Emmett that I'd had no choice but to accept the fact that she was with him. Until Friday night. Two nights ago, my hope had been renewed. I hated the way Emmett hurt Bella that way, but at the same time, I wanted to kiss his feet for having pushed her into my arms. I smiled again as I pulled her there again, into my arms. She stirred, but didn't wake. I knew I could hold her all night, every night, for as long as I lived, and never tire of it.

I lay in the bed holding Bella for well over an hour, just watching her sleep. While I watched her, my mind wandered, wondering what we should do today. What I _wanted_ to do—stay in bed with her all day, never leaving, and most importantly, having a repeat performance of last night—would clearly be inappropriate. It felt a little strange to want that; it had never been who I was. Of course, I'd never even _thought_ I'd been in love with any other girl. With Bella, I _knew_ I was. It was hard to explain, even to myself.

When she was still asleep at seven-thirty, I decided that I'd better get my day started regardless of what I _wanted. _Rising from the bed, I got a sudden inspiration. I found a scrap of paper and a pen, and reverting back to the way our relationship had been for years, I wrote her a note.

_Bella,_

_I hope you enjoyed your rest. I'll be in the kitchen with breakfast when you wake. _

_Edward_

I'd almost added 'I love you' to the end of the note. I decided against it, though, because things had only recently changed in my favor, besides the fact that she already knew that I felt that way, I still thought that might be going overboard so soon. Now that I finally had her, I didn't want to push her away. I hoped I hadn't already, considering I'd slept with her the very first night I had her here, on what was supposed to have been her wedding night. I tented the note and placed it on my pillow before padding barefoot to the bathroom and taking a shower.

After I got out of the shower, I walked to the kitchen and got out all of the ingredients for omelets. I'd just finished dicing the ham and peppers and had poured the first bowl of beaten eggs into the pan I'd preheated when I felt Bella's warm arms surround my waist. I smiled and turned around. "Good morning," I greeted her.

"Happy birthday," she replied. I felt the confusion on my face, and I could tell by her reaction that Bella noticed it, too. "It is your birthday, right? June twentieth?" she clarified, suddenly unsure of herself.

"Yeah, June twentieth is my birthday," I assured her. "I guess the actual date just got away from me." I turned back around to check the eggs. After flipping them over and adding the omelet fillings, I said, "I can't believe I forgot my own birthday."

She laughed along with me. "I was going to say the same thing." Hearing her laugh was…magical. She'd been through so much, and I was glad that she seemed to be acclimating to being with me so quickly.

As we sat at my table to eat, I was about to say something, but Bella beat me to it. "Thanks for the note. Although, it wasn't quite as nice as waking up next to _you_."

"I'm sorry lo—," I cut myself off before I called her 'love.' _Too soon,_ I told myself. _You're in love with her, but she's not there. Yet. _"I'm sorry, Bella," I corrected.

"That's okay," she assured me, not seeming to notice my blunder. Or else just ignoring it. "The note was actually kind of nice. Like the old days. It's been awhile since I'd seen your handwriting."

I moved on quickly, wanting to get her opinion on what I had planned for the rest of the day. I said to her, "So, I was thinking, maybe we could go see my parents today? I know they'd love to meet you; they know we've kept in touch all these years. What do you think?"

"Er…" she trailed off nervously.

"But, if you don't want to, we can do something else," I said quickly, immediately changing my plans. What else was there to do here? _Baseball game, zoo, museum_. I racked my brain for ideas. Anything she wanted, I'd do it.

"No, it's not that," Bella started. I watched her, waiting for her to continue. After a couple of minutes of watching her bite her bottom lip nervously, she spoke again. "What if they don't like me? I mean, remember our relationship?" she asked, gesturing between the two of us. "It's obviously changed after…last night. What do we say to everyone?" She was definitely nervous.

"There's nothing to tell. I mean, not _nothing_ to tell. Crap. I didn't mean that," I said. Now _I_ was getting nervous. "Obviously there's _something_ to tell, but not until you're ready," I assured her. "No one has to know that we…that our relationship is changing."

"Okay."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. So, what am I to you then?"

"I'm not sure," I hedged. I knew what I wanted her to be, but I wasn't sure how she would react.

"Your girlfriend?"

_Yes!_ my head screamed. Instead, I said, "Is that what you want?"

"Maybe," she said shyly.

I couldn't believe my ears. _She wants to be my girlfriend? _I had to clarify. "You want to be with me?"

"Yes, I do," she said. "I just feel like it's too soon. I mean, _yesterday_ I was engaged to someone else. What will people think of me, flitting from guy to guy like that?"

"Okay, couple of things," I started, trying to be a voice of reason to her. "It doesn't matter what people think of you, or me, or whatever relationship we decide to have." She bit her lip and nodded at my words. "Secondly, you're not flitting. You didn't end that relationship, he did. Because he was interested in your friend for crying out loud. This is _not_ your fault. And lastly, it's only too soon if you're not ready. If you are ready to move on, then it's not too soon."

"I was ready to move on as soon as he told me he'd already been dating her." She grabbed my hand and squeezed it when she said that, speaking with both words and actions. She was ready to move on with _me_.

"Then there's your answer."

"Thank you," she said.

"You don't have to thank me. I've told you that. I promised you that I'd be around for you if you ever needed me, and you needed me. So I was there. End of story. No more thanking me."

"Okay," she agreed, dropping her gaze back to the table. "Er, I should probably take a shower," she said after a couple of minutes of silence.

"Of course," I agreed quickly.

She stood from the table, looking around. "Um, I'll just use the same bathroom as last night, if that's okay?" What should have been a statement came out more as a question.

"Yeah, of course." I couldn't stop the smile from emerging on my face. My smile wasn't the only part of my body that remembered the previous night. I stood from the table and adjusted my khakis, attempting to hide my involuntary reaction from Bella. It didn't work. She smirked at me, then walked up and wrapped her arms around my neck. My arms found their own way to her waist. It was then that I noticed that she was wearing one of my dress shirts. And as near as I could tell, _only_ that. That was seriously the hottest thing I'd ever seen. "You're wearing my shirt," I managed to rasp out.

"Yeah. I have my own clothes, of course, but I kind of wanted to wear yours." She bit her lip and blushed. "I hope it's okay that I borrowed it," she said, then added as almost an afterthought, "boyfriend."

_Holy crap, did she just voluntarily admit that she wanted to wear my clothes? And call me 'boyfriend'? Man, I love her. Okay, get a grip, _I told myself. I swallowed, then said, "It's more than okay. You look stunning," in that same raspy voice from before. The night before, Bella had taken the lead. Now that I no longer felt like I had to tiptoe around her, I took the initiative. I grabbed her left hand in my right and pulled her back to the bedroom. I spun her around so that she was now facing me. I wanted to crash into her, but I was afraid of hurting her if she wasn't expecting me, so I carefully lowered my mouth to hers and kissed her with all the passion I could muster. She eagerly returned the kiss. My body was already responding to having her nearby, although in all honesty, I had already been hard after seeing her in my shirt, and I could feel in the urgency of her lips on mine that she was ready for another round, too. Just as my hands reached the buttons on her shirt, my phone started buzzing in my pocket. "You have got to be kidding me," I muttered, my mouth still against Bella's. "Hold that thought," I told her, reluctantly pulling away and removing my phone from my pocket. I looked at the caller ID and silently cursed my brother for calling me _now_. Still breathless, I answered, "Hey, Jazz. What's up?"

Bella sat on my bed, waiting for me. "Can't I just call my favorite brother without needing a reason? Especially on his birthday?" he said.

"Uh, yeah, I guess so," I said, realizing that this may not be as quick a conversation as I'd hoped. I rolled my eyes, trying to communicate with Bella that this might be awhile. She just nodded in return, smiling a tiny smile.

"So, how'd things go with Bella last night?"

Bella was still sitting there, and while I wasn't planning on 'kissing and telling' so to speak, I'd feel a little more comfortable having this conversation by myself. "Hang on," I told Jazz.

"Oooh, she's sitting right there with you, isn't she?" he said.

I ignored him and covered the mouthpiece of my phone, speaking to Bella. "I'm really sorry, but he wants to talk." I rolled my eyes again, showing her that I most certainly did not want to talk to him right now. "Do you want to go take your shower now, and I'll be waiting for you when you finish?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll see you…soon," she said, standing up and placing a chaste kiss on my mouth. She opened her suitcase and pulled out a fresh set of clothes. I watched her with rapt attention until she reminded me, "You need to talk to your brother," nodding at the phone still clutched in my hand. I'd already forgotten about him.

"Right. Okay. Enjoy your shower." I leaned in and kissed her again. I couldn't help it. She was too irresistible.

I watched her go and sat down on the edge of the bed. I don't know how long I sat there, just thinking about Bella, before I heard, "Edward! Hey, Edward! You didn't forget about me, did you?" coming through my phone.

I pulled myself out of my stupor enough to talk to Jasper. "Yeah, I'm here."

"So, how'd things go with Bella last night?" he asked again. The man was relentless in his quest for information. I could practically hear his eyebrows wiggling through the phone, and was grateful it wasn't a video phone.

"Things went fine," I said. That was the truth, mostly, and it kept my vow to myself that I wouldn't betray Bella's confidence. I'd told her just this morning, over breakfast, that no one would have to know exactly how things were evolving between us. I intended to keep that promise.

"Just fine? _Fine_ is disappointing, little brother," Jasper chastised me.

"Look, we're different, you and I. No offense, Jazz, but you're…looser than I am. You always have been."

"Holy freakin' crap! You slept with her, didn't you?"

_How did he do that? He always seems to know._ I paused, trying to figure out how to respond to his outburst without either lying or breaking that promise I'd made to Bella. He saw right through me, though. "Man, way to go!" he exulted.

"Dude, shut up. You can't tell anyone, especially Mom and Dad. Bella's already nervous about meeting them. She's afraid they won't approve of her."

"What's not to approve of? Bella's great."

"She is," I sighed, then brought myself back to reality, explaining her insecurities to my brother. "You have to look at it from her perspective. Think about the relationship I've had with her all these years," I started.

"Yeah, about that," Jasper interrupted. "I think I was right last summer at the club."

He'd successfully distracted me. "What do you mean?" I honestly had no idea what he was talking about. Jasper's memory had always been better than mine.

"Well, I've been in the fortunate position of watching the two of you over the past week, and though I meant it differently when I said it, I was still right. Your letters were not just platonic all those years." I started to interrupt him, but he continued talking, acknowledging my thought before I'd expressed it. "They didn't have to be sexual or sensual or whatever to be beyond platonic, Edward. I mean, think about it. What is the purpose of dating? To get to know the other person, right?" I saw where he was going with this train of thought, but allowed him to bring it to its conclusion anyway. "That's what you and Bella did with your letters over the years. And I think that's why you've never really been happy with anyone else."

"Dude, when did you get so deep?" I couldn't help asking with a chuckle.

"It comes with age," he said. Then, matching my chuckle, he added, "And Alice. She's had you guys pegged for a long time. She went along with the whole Bella-marrying-Emmett thing because she cares for Bella and wanted to let her make her own choices."

"Alice seems smart; wise beyond her years," I mused.

"Yeah, she is. And though she's really pissed at her sister for betraying Bella like that, at the same time, she's glad to see Bella with you instead. Even if it means losing Bella for awhile."

"Just for awhile?" I questioned.

"Well, come on, man, you had to see the chemistry I had with Alice. She's definitely more than a one-night stand."

"Seriously, Jazz? You already slept with her? You've known her a week!"

"I thought we'd already agreed that I'm 'looser' than you," he laughed. "Besides, you slept with Bella," he pointed out.

"Yeah, but didn't you just try to convince me that I've been dating her for years through the postal service?"

"Touché."

Just then, I heard the shower turn off in the other room. "Hey, Jazz, she just turned the shower off. I've gotta go."

"Oh, one more thing before you do. The actual reason for my call."

"You mean you didn't call just to harass me about my new girlfriend on my birthday?" I scoffed. I wasn't actually upset with him, though. He'd given me a lot to ponder.

"What did you say?" he choked out. I tried to think back over the last three seconds of the conversation. I couldn't come up with anything that should've elicited that kind of reaction from him, so I said nothing, waiting for him to clarify. When he realized that I didn't have an answer for him, he said, "You just called Bella your girlfriend." _Oops._

"Oh. Er, yeah. We talked this morning and decided that's what we wanted. After last night, we both felt better about what we'd done with a title on the relationship."

"Really? So, she's as prude as you?" he laughed. "Okay, you guys really do belong together."

The shower had been turned off for quite awhile now. Frankly, I was surprised Bella hadn't already returned to the bedroom yet. I decided to push Jasper again and wrap up this conversation. "So you said this conversation actually had a point?" I reminded him.

"Yes. Mom wants you to come over for your birthday dinner tonight."

"Yeah, okay. We should be able to swing that," I said. "Just let her know that I'll be bringing a…guest."

"Will do."

"Alright. Thanks for the talk, Jazz."

"Yeah, no problem. Oh, and Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"I know you've wanted Bella for awhile now, so, congrats, I guess."

"Thanks, Jazz." I snapped my phone shut just as Bella emerged in the doorway. She looked stunning in jeans and a deep blue blouse. I told her as much, and she blushed; that was something I'd noticed over the past week, something that couldn't be conveyed in a written format—she blushed a lot. After a moment of admiring each other, I said, "My mom wants us to go over there for dinner tonight. Is that okay?"

"Yes," she said resolutely. Her tone was much more confident now than it had been. It seemed as though she'd done some soul-searching of her own during the twenty minutes we'd spent apart. I nodded, pleased that she no longer seemed worried about meeting my parents.

x-x-x

I had to come clean with her during the drive over; I told her that Jasper had guessed that we'd already been together. She seemed to take it in stride, and for that I was grateful; I don't know what I would have done had she been upset with me for telling him. Even though I didn't _tell_ him.

When we pulled up in front of my parents' stone house, Bella's reaction was similar to the previous night when we'd dropped Jazz off here. I helped her out of the car and draped my arm around her shoulders. She looked up, smiling, and wrapped her arm around my waist. Even though I knew in my mind that she'd agreed to the relationship step, it still thrilled me every time she didn't flinch away from my touch. And feeling her return such simple gestures was even better.

When we went inside, she looked around, taking in all of the nuance of the room that my mother had decorated. "I thought you said this was just like any other house on the inside," she whispered to me.

"Isn't it?" I asked, teasing her. Growing up, I'd known the house was nice, but it was just home. Whereas my parents had been well off, they raised Jasper and me to be level headed and down to earth. We'd never been allowed to be conceited about what we had, because as my father used to say _'you don't have anything; everything here belongs to your mother and me.' _He hadn't meant it as a derogatory thing, just simple fact to keep Jasper and me humble.

Bella glared up at me and said, "It's more than normal, yes. It's gorgeous." The last two words came out as barely more than a whisper; she was thoroughly impressed with the house.

Having heard us enter, my family came to greet us. My mother and father looked expectant; I could by their expressions that Jazz hadn't told them who my guest would be. I was more concerned with my mom's reaction than my dad's; my dad was easygoing, and not as concerned with…grandchildren as my mother was. While I knew that I was choosing Bella regardless of what they thought of her today, I still was suddenly nervous about introducing her to my mother. _Well, may as well dive in; rip the band-aid off so to speak. _"Mom, Dad, this is Bella. Bella, this is my mother, Esme, and my father, Carlisle."

"Bella?" my mother asked me, not even trying to hide the shock in her voice. I nodded slightly at her, trying to convey that what she had just done was…well, rude. Her eyebrows came together slightly, but she took my hint and smoothed them out again quickly. "Bella, it's a pleasure to meet you," she said, walking over to us and taking one of Bella's hands in both of her own.

Because my mother's reaction to Bella's name had been so strong, Bella had obviously noticed, and I had felt her tense at my side immediately. She stiffened further as my mom approached us, but thankfully she relaxed quickly when she felt the warmth and love radiating off of Mom. Despite her initial shock, my mom really was a warm and welcoming person. While I hadn't told her of the feelings I'd developed for Bella through our letters, she'd definitely noticed that something was up with me the past several weeks. Though I didn't date as much as Jasper—when he was home, that is; obviously not much dating happened when he was overseas on assignment—I had dated in the past, but once I'd come to terms with my feelings for Bella, I'd stopped seeing other women. I hadn't brought many girlfriends home in the past, but there had been enough for my mom to notice the change when I'd quit dating altogether.

So, now, meeting Bella, their reaction was wholly appropriate. Once Mom released Bella's hand, Dad stepped up. I had seen the shock in his features initially as well, but he'd done a better job than Mom at hiding it from Bella. "Welcome to our home, Bella," he said warmly.

"Thank you for having me. Your home is beautiful," Bella replied.

My father chuckled. "That's all Esme's doing. She's a wonderful decorator."

"Yes, you are," Bella said, turning the attention back to my mom.

"Thank you, Bella," Mom replied. "Well, we should move into the sitting room. No sense standing in the foyer all night. Come in, come in." She gestured us to follow her, and we did.

Everyone sat down, save for my dad, who stood behind the same portable bar he always did when he had company. Mom, Jazz, and I always had the same drinks, so he only needed to ask Bella for her preference. "Whatever red wine you have available would be great. Thank you," she told him. Once everyone had been served, Dad took a seat next to Mom, facing Jasper, Bella, and I, who were sitting together on the sofa. I had my arm draped over Bella's shoulders and she was resting her hand on my thigh. I couldn't keep the smile off my face; I was happier than I'd been in a long time. I instinctively pulled her just a little closer to me.

"So, Bella, what brings you to Chicago?" my mother asked. I shot her a dirty look, but only Jasper noticed. He snorted at my reaction to our mother's question, but everyone ignored him.

Bella cleared her throat, obviously uncomfortable with this question. She was tough, though, and answered it anyway. Although, she was purposefully vague, leaving out most of the intimate details. She started with a question. "Well, how much has Edward told you about my…situation?"

"Well, just that you've kept up the pen pal relationship for all these years, and then more recently that you were in a relationship, and were getting married. He told us that he was traveling to Seattle to meet you for the first time at your wedding."

"Okay," Bella said. "That's all true. So, what brings me to Chicago now is basically a case of cold feet. I talked to my fia—my ex the night before the wedding and he let me know that he'd changed his mind."

"Oh, dear, that's terrible. The night before?"

"Yeah. It kind of caught me off guard, but I think it was probably for the best. I wouldn't want to be married to someone who didn't want to be married to me, too." She shrugged it off as if it was no big deal. I marveled at her stamina; I knew she was angry with Emmett, but she was incredibly cavalier when discussing the situation with other people. I wouldn't want to be Emmett when she got back to Seattle, though. That guy was in for a serious tongue-lashing, I was pretty sure.

"Good for you, being strong enough to withstand such a terrible thing."

"Thank you," Bella nodded her gratefulness at those words. It was just what she needed to hear, and I was glad that my mom had said them. Bella continued her story, "So, then, since I already had the vacation time taken, I decided I might as well get some sort of trip out the deal, so where better than here with Edward? I enjoyed spending time with him last week, and thought it would be nice to get to know him better."

"Well, you succeeded at that," Jasper muttered, smirking at Bella and me. This time, my murderous glare was aimed at him, but it seemed to be unnecessary. Only Bella and I heard him, and besides my glower there was no reaction from anyone.

That's what I thought, anyway, until I looked at Bella's face and saw that it was deep red. "Um, would it be okay if I used your bathroom before dinner?" Bella asked. She looked like she desperately needed to get away from Jasper and his sly comment in order to compose herself before continuing the visit.

"Of course, dear. It's up the stairs, first door on the left."

"Thank you," Bella said again. She handed me her wine glass and headed up the stairs.

Once she was gone, the floodgates opened. "Edward, are you sure this was a good idea?" my father asked. I was shocked at his reaction, because he'd been so cordial and polite in the foyer. I'd had no inkling that he'd been stewing this entire time.

"Of course I am. Bella's become one of my best friends over the years, and she needed me. Her fiancé decided the _night before_ their wedding that he didn't want to marry her. She needed a friend, someone who wasn't so close to home, to be there for her, and she came to me. Of course I was going to help her when she asked. Anyone would have done the same."

"Perhaps," my dad conceded. "But what about your body language here now? You've got your arm around her, and she's resting her hand on your leg? You look like more than 'just friends.'"

"Well, that's because we are," I stated simply. I felt no need to defend my choices to them; I was twenty-nine years old now, and perfectly capable of making my own decisions. And this was one I was prepared to go to battle on. I stared at my parents, willing them to understand that I was serious about her.

They seemed to get the message, because my father sat there, silently contemplating what I'd said, and my mother said, "Well, so long as the two of you have made the decision together, and both are happy with the choice."

"We are," I assured her. "I promise."

"Okay, then," she said, patting my father on the leg, effectively putting the kibosh on any further discussion regarding Bella and me.

I was grateful for that, especially when Bella reappeared a few moments later, looking calmer. I did not want anything more said that would upset her. She smiled as she rejoined us, taking her seat beside me again. I kissed her temple when she sat, and she turned to smile at me. I smiled back, telling her with my eyes, _I love you._

The rest of the evening progressed with no incident. My parents asked Bella about Seattle, and she answered their questions with ease. When we moved to the dinner table, Bella ate silently while the rest of us just caught up after Jasper and I having been gone for a week. And after dessert, I took Bella back to my apartment.

We cuddled under a blanket, watching a movie together in the living room, then went to bed together that night. Once we were snuggled into my bed in our pajamas, I whispered into her hair, "Thank you for spending my birthday with me."

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world," she said, quoting my email from the day after I'd received her engagement announcement.

I couldn't think of an appropriate response to that, so I just kissed her hair and pulled her closer to me, holding her in my arms as we fell asleep together.

**There we go, chapter 12. Please read and review. Well, actually, you've already read it, so I guess just review now :). Thanks everyone. **

**Oh, and BTW, this is the longest chapter to date for any of you who care about word count…it's the first time I've cracked 5k (not counting the AN in the word count). But, 13's longer. There's something for you to look forward to! **

**And, a special shout out to RoryCullen, for recognizing (and planting the idea in my head lol) that all those years of letters were more than platonic, even if 99.99% of them were not of a sexual nature. Thanks, sweetie :).**

**See you next week.**


	13. Forgotten Spaghetti

**A/N: Just the normal stuff: **

**I don't own **_**Twilight**_**.**

**Special thanks to my friends, Gerri (super beta extraordinaire) and Rory (the best pre-reader a girl could hope for), for making my story look like a super hero with their beautiful red and blue correction marks :). Especially Rory, who practically co-wrote this chapter (the last third of it, anyway). Without these two fabulous women, you wouldn't be reading this story right now, so I am grateful to them every day for their constant encouragement to me through this process. And, special congratulations to Gerri who found out last week that she's having a baby girl! She's due in mid-January. Congrats again, sweetie, I love you :).**

**And of course, thanks to you, for reading. Again, I apologize sincerely to any of you who didn't get a review response. I try to respond to all of them, but for some reason, FF has only been notifying me via email for about half of them, and when I go to my review page and see some that I hadn't gotten emails for, I sometimes forget which are which and who I've responded to and who I haven't, so I don't respond through the reviews page, only through my email :(. I promise you I read all of them, though, so keep reviewing! I love you guys!**

**Extra long chapter today, so enjoy it. They won't all be this long! :)**

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN: FORGOTTEN SPAGHETTI**

**Bella **

I awoke Monday morning to another note from Edward.

_Bella,_

_I'm sorry I couldn't get out of work this week. I'm off at 6 tonight, and we can do something then. Help yourself to anything in the apartment. I've left you the keys and the Volvo if you want to go out, but please, get directions from Felix—the daytime doorman—first. Also, feel free to call my mom if there's anything else you need. She works from home, and her job is much more flexible than mine._

_-Edward_

He had included his mother's phone number on the bottom of the page underneath his name. I read the note and sighed. I knew, of course, that he'd have to work. We'd talked about it last night before falling asleep, and I understood. After all, I'd done the same thing to him in Seattle, leaving him with Alice.

I thought it was nice the way he left notes for me, but it was a little sad that he wouldn't be here today. I realized that people left notes for their significant others, but because we were pen pals first, it seemed somehow more meaningful to me that he wrote the little notes. I climbed out of Edward's bed and walked to the bathroom. I smiled when I saw that he'd left another note there.

_I love you._

_E_

That one tore at me a little bit. I knew of his feelings, of course, and didn't even begrudge him them anymore. I just wasn't quite ready to return the sentiment yet. I wondered whether or not I loved him, though. It was a possibility, I supposed. I did feel strongly for him, of that I was certain. But love? I just didn't know yet.

I turned the shower on and while I was waiting for it to heat, I thought back over the past two days. Starting as early as the plane trip here, _I_ had been the one who pushed things. And though it was slightly out of character for me to have done those things, it didn't feel wrong with Edward. Nothing ever felt wrong when I was with him.

I tested the water temperature with my hand, and satisfied that I would neither freeze nor burn, I stepped in, continuing my internal monologue while I washed. I remembered the woman on the plane who had recognized something between the two of us. She had said_, aren't you two adorable. So happy and in love._ There had been no indication to her that at that point that the love was one-sided. And when Edward had tried to correct her, it had been me who stopped him. I had _wanted_ her to think we were in love.

Then there had been the car trip from his parents' house to his, after we dropped Jasper off. I hadn't been able to keep my eyes off of him. Or my hands. I had enjoyed touching him, and had even told him so.

The memories continued to flood my mind, speeding up and flashing in and out of my brain. His chivalry, insisting on pulling my suitcase even though I was perfectly capable of doing it myself. Feeling the physical reaction I caused in him. More kisses. Making love. Falling asleep together in his bed. Waking up yesterday, wishing he'd been in the bed. Reading his note and feeling a rush of warmth in the sentiment that was there, unwritten. Wrapping my arms around him in his kitchen, watching him cook. Agreeing to be his girlfriend. And meeting his parents.

All of these played over and over in my mind, invoking feelings in me that I'd never thought would be possible in such a new relationship. As I rinsed the shampoo out of my hair, I realized that I was definitely in the process of falling for him, if I hadn't already. I wasn't sure exactly where in the process I was, but I recognized the falling sensation. And frankly, it was scaring me. It was too fast.

I finished rinsing the soap out of my hair and off of my skin, then stepped out of the shower, suddenly desperate to communicate with Edward. I knew I shouldn't call him while he was at work, but I could still communicate with him, right? I dried and dressed quickly, then found my cell phone and sent him a text message.

_I missed you this am. I hope I'll get to experience waking up next to you one of these days. BTW, if you left me your car, how did you get to work?_

_~B_

I found some eggs in his fridge and fried them quickly, eating them along with a slice of toast. I still hadn't gotten a response to my text yet, though I figured he was probably busy with patients—not to mention paperwork after an entire week away. I wasn't sure how comfortable I'd be calling his mother to entertain me considering I'd only just met her the day before, so after finishing my eggs and toast, I sat on his couch and turned on the TV. Halfway through the first show, my phone buzzed with a new message. I eagerly grabbed it and read,

_Well, I guess you need to wake up earlier then ;). As for getting to work, I have two cars._

Immediately, I missed him more than I'd thought I could ever miss anyone. I missed him more right now than I'd ever missed Emmett in all the time we'd been together—or apart. I opened up a new text message screen on my phone and typed out,

_Any chance you can come home for lunch?_

His response came quicker this time; I must've caught him between patients.

_I can't today, 2 much 2 do after time off. You should call my mom. I talked to her this a.m., and she said she'd love to see you today._

I thought about that. If Esme was willing to spend time with me, I should spend time with her. While it wasn't as good as spending time with Edward, it was better than just sitting around his apartment waiting for him to come home.

_Okay, I will. See you tonight?_

When I hadn't heard from him after five minutes, I picked up my phone again and walked back to the bedroom. I dialed the number on the bottom of that note, and waited nervously for someone to answer.

"Hello?" came the friendly voice I recognized as Esme's.

"Er, hi, Esme?"

"Yes."

"Um, this is Bella. Bella Swan," I started, extremely nervous.

"Of course, Bella, Edward told me you might be calling today."

"Yeah. Um, he said you might be willing to spend time with me today?" I asked. "I mean, I understand if you don't want to, or if you're busy or something-," I rambled, dismayed at myself for allowing my nerves to get to me.

Fortunately, Esme interrupted me. "Bella. Bella!" She'd had to call my name twice to get me to stop talking. When I did, she continued, "I'd love to spend some time with you this afternoon. Do you have lunch plans?"

"No, I don't. Edward's too busy at work to take a lunch break today."

"Okay. I'll pick you up at noon, then, and we'll go out. My treat."

"Thank you," I said humbly.

"It's my pleasure," she assured me.

After we'd hung up, I saw that while I'd been on the phone with her, Edward had sent a text response to me.

_Yeah. I'll be home a little after six, depending on traffic._

I wanted to text him back, but I figured I'd already pushed it enough with the three I'd sent already, plus his three replies. I didn't want him to get in trouble at work.

I finished the show that I'd started while waiting for his first return text, then turned the TV off; I didn't want to get sucked into watching it all day. I felt like I needed some interaction, so I decided to call Alice. I looked at the clock first to make sure the timing would be okay, and found that it was; she was two hours earlier than me, so I suspected that she'd be awake, but not at work yet. Alice had been nothing but supportive when I'd talked to her after leaving my parents' room on Saturday morning. Somehow, she hadn't seemed as shocked at the situation as I had been, and I hadn't pressed her too much at the time, but now I kind of wanted to know why.

For the second time that day, I listened to the monotonous ringing of the phone. Alice answered halfway through the second ring. "Bella!" she squealed.

"Hi, Alice."

"How are you?" She sounded slightly concerned.

"Honestly, I'm happier than I've been in months."

"I knew it!" I jumped slightly at the volume of her voice.

"You knew what?"

"That you didn't really belong with… is it okay to say his name?"

I giggled. "Yes, Alice, you can say Emmett's name."

"Okay, I just wasn't sure how you'd be doing with Edward, if you were still upset or anything."

"Things with Edward are going so well," I told her. "I know it's only been a couple of days, but I'm already really comfortable here." I continued talking, telling her about the cuddling on the plane and meeting his parents the day before. I skipped the part about the sex, though. There was no reason to go into all the details. It wasn't that I was ashamed of what we'd done, not at all—I had absolutely no regrets over anything that had transpired between us so far. I just wanted to keep some aspects of my new relationship to myself for now.

"Wow, Bella," she breathed when I'd finished talking. "I'm so happy for you. I mean, I was happy for you before, when you were with Emmett because you _seemed_ happy, but now I know that you're _really_ happy. I can't really explain the difference, but you are obviously much happier now than you ever were before. I can't even see you, and I can tell that you're glowing!"

"Thanks, Alice." I paused, then had to ask. I couldn't keep the question in any longer. "So, how's Rose? Is she… I mean, are they…?"

"Still together?"

"Yeah." I bit my lip, nervously awaiting her response. I don't know why I was nervous, because I'd moved on with Edward, but despite that, the wounds were still fresh.

"Honestly, I can't say; I haven't seen her since that day."

"Oh, okay."

"I know you weren't as close to Rose and you are to me, but I don't think it was ever her intention to hurt you, Bella," Alice said quietly.

"Thank you for saying that." I wasn't sure whether I believed it or not, but regardless, I was suddenly ready to move away from this conversation. I'd had enough for now. "So, you and Jasper, eh?" I asked her.

"Yes! Thank you so much, Bella! I know I already said that on Saturday morning, but seriously, _thank you_. He's the best. I gotta admit, I was a little skeptical at first, but we had such instant chemistry. It was a little freaky, actually. But as the week progressed, things just felt so right with him, you know?"

"I'm glad. You know, he was talking about you when we dropped him off at his place after the flight."

"Really?"

"Yeah. So, do you think you'll see him again?"

"I'd like to, but I don't know how that would ever work. I mean, I live here, and he lives there, not to mention the constant uncertainty he faces with the military all the time…" she trailed off.

"You should _make_ it work," I told her. "You guys were great together. I really think you should do everything you can to see him again. He even told me that he wanted to see you again."

"Maybe I can take a vacation in a couple months," she mused.

"You should," I repeated.

"Thanks, Bella."

"No problem."

"So, when are you coming home?"

"Well, I have to come back at the end of the week, for at least a month or two. I'm not planning on living in Seattle anymore, though, Alice. I'm only coming back long enough to finalize things at work, give notice at my apartment, and visit my parents. That's it, though. I've lived away from Edward my entire life, and that turns out to have been a mistake. I mean, how different would my life have been if I'd just met him ten years ago? I'm falling for him, Alice, hard and fast."

"But what about him? Does he feel the same way?" I'd forgotten that I hadn't told her about the letter that had changed everything.

"He's had these feelings for much longer than I have," I told her.

"Are you serious? How do you know?"

"He put them in a letter a few months back."

"He actually mailed you a letter stating his feelings while you were engaged to someone else?"

"Well, he didn't mean to. Apparently, he'd been writing letters like that for awhile, and just not mailing them. That time, it was just a mistake. He put the wrong letter in the envelope."

"You're kidding me," she said quietly, barely a murmur.

"Nope."

"Wow."

"I know." I thought I should probably have said something with more substance, but Alice was still taking in the revelation. I decided to give her time to process.

"It's like this was meant to be, then," she finally stated. Her tone was no longer awed, now she was all business.

"I guess so. That's kind of romantic sounding, huh? Like it was okay that Emmett and Rose dated behind my back. I mean, not _okay_-okay, but it was for the best after all."

"Exactly."

"I'm still mad at them, though. Especially him."

"I know, sweetie. And I don't blame you one bit. I'm still a little mad at Rose, too. No matter what kind of attraction you feel towards someone, you just don't do what she did."

"No, you don't. You shouldn't do that to someone you _don't_ know, and you especially shouldn't do that to someone who's supposed to be your friend." We were quiet for a moment before I realized what had happened. My change of subject had failed epically. "How did we get back to talking about this?" I snapped. "I specifically changed the subject away from my cheating ex."

"Sorry."

"It's okay. I should go, anyway. I'm having lunch with Edward's mom today."

"His mom? Isn't he there with you this week?"

"No. He had to go back to work this week. He took last week for his vacation, and he thinks he's coming home with me next week, too."

"What do you mean, he _thinks_ he is?"

"Well, I can't let him take any more time off of work, especially when I'm just planning to be back here as soon as I can, anyway. I'll have to go back to work once I get there, at least for a couple of weeks, while I finish out my two weeks' notice."

"So you're really not coming back home, then?"

"Not permanently. I just can't. I'm sorry, Alice."

"It's okay. In the same situation, I'm not sure I would want to, either. But hey, we're dating brothers now, so we'll still see each other."

"Silver lining," I said, wishing I could reach through the phone and give my best friend a hug.

"Always."

My phone beeped then, and I pulled it away from my head long enough to see the phone number. I kind of recognized it, but there was no name attached to the number; all I could tell was that it had an Illinois area code. "Hey, Alice, I've got another call; I've gotta go. I'll see you this weekend, though, okay?"

"Sure, Bella. I'll be there Sunday afternoon to pick you up from the airport."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye."

A couple of quick keystrokes later, and I was saying, "Hello?"

"Bella, hello, this is Esme. I'm right out front; are you ready to go?"

"Yes, I am. I'll be down soon."

"Okay, dear. I'll see you in a minute."

I exited Edward's apartment, being careful to lock it behind me. He'd attached a spare house key to the ring with the car key, so I made sure to grab that as well, dropping it into my purse along with my phone.

I rode the elevator down to the lobby and was glad to see Felix there instead of James. "Good morning, Miss Swan," he greeted me. Edward had introduced us the day before.

"Good morning, Felix," I returned the greeting, smiling at him. Felix was huge, but like Emmett, he was very personable. That made him less frightening to me than James. "And please, call me Bella."

He just smiled at me, not acknowledging my request at all. I hated being called by my surname, except in court, and I could see that I'd have my work cut out for me getting Felix to relax around me. He walked me to the door of the building, opened it, and as I walked through, he said, "Have a nice day, Miss Swan." I flashed him a look of half-exasperation, half-amusement. My look said _I told you to call me Bella._

His return smirk said, _Not a chance._

Once I was through the front door, I spotted Esme easily. She was sitting in the driver's side of a shiny black Mercedes. The window on the side closest to the sidewalk was down. When she saw me, she flashed me her warm, friendly smile. I returned it and opened the door, climbing in beside her. As soon as I was seated, she pushed a button and my window rose. I immediately saw why she'd had it down. The tinting was so dark, I wouldn't have been able to see her otherwise. "Thank you for having lunch with me," I told her.

"It's my pleasure," she said sincerely. "It would be a shame for you to spend your entire vacation cooped up in that tiny apartment." I couldn't help but laugh at her assessment of Edward's apartment. "What?" she asked, a small laugh escaping her lips at the sound of mine.

"Well, it's funny that you called his place _tiny._ It's bigger than mine by about half again, and much nicer."

"Really?" She seemed appalled by this news.

"Yeah. It's the same one I lived in all through law school and the rent is affordable. I didn't mean to imply that mine's a dump or anything, it's not. It's just not as fancy as Edward's."

"But when you started working after you got your degree, didn't they pay you enough to get something else?"

"Well, they do now." _Which is ironic, _I thought_. Considering now I have to quit. _I didn't express that thought, though. "The first few weeks, last summer—before I'd taken the Bar Exam—my salary was lower. Even now, though, I'm pretty low in the ranks. The bottom, still, actually. But moving is such a hassle, and like I said, my place may be smaller and less fancy than Edward's but it's decent."

"To each her own," Esme muttered quietly. Then in the next breath, "What would you like for lunch, Bella?"

"Anything's fine. What's your favorite?"

"I know just the place," she told me. A couple of minutes later, she was pulling up in front of a neon sign reading _The Berghoff Restaurant_. "They have great sandwiches here," she told me. The skepticism I felt must have been apparent on my face—based on the outside, the place looked like a sports bar—because Esme laughed and said, "It's fantastic, I promise. Let's go inside."

We went in, and the place was pretty nice inside. All of the furniture was wood, the tables and chairs matching. There was a bar on one end with tall stools padded with red leather seats. The flooring, large brown and white checks, matched the furniture. They were busy, since it was the middle of the standard lunch hour. Apparently they knew Esme though, and we were seated quickly. After looking through the menu, and remembering that Esme had said that they had good sandwiches here, I chose the halibut sandwich. She ordered the turkey.

The conversation flowed easily between us; it was like we'd known each other for years rather than just under a day. After we ran out of small talk, she moved on to some heavier subjects. Eventually she managed to get the truth out of me behind the rehearsal night. She was appalled at what I told her, just like everyone else who heard the tale. And then she was beaming at how chivalrous her son had been to me in 'my time of need.'

"But what happens now, Bella?" she asked.

I popped one of the hand cut fries that had come with my sandwich into my mouth, thinking about how to answer her question. I wasn't entirely sure where she was going with such a question, so I quickly went over several possible answers in my head while I chewed. Did she want to me to be with Edward? Did she think I was damaged goods, and want me to stay away? The look on her face made me think it was the former—which was good, because that was the situation at hand, the one that was actually going to come to fruition in our lives. I swallowed the fry and said, "Well, I'm here for the rest of the week, but then I have to go back to Seattle to take care of some things. I think that within just a few weeks, I'll be back, though. That's my current plan, anyway. I really enjoy being with Edward. I only wish that we'd gotten together years ago, rather than last week. I'm still not sure how all the logistics will work when I come back, though."

"I can tell from talking to Edward that he has the same attitude regarding you," she told me. "I mean, that he wishes you two had gotten together sooner."

"I know," I whispered.

"I think he loves you, Bella."

"I think so, too."

"What about you? Do you love my son?"

I needed a moment before answering this question, so I took another fry. When I'd finished it, I took a drink from my soda. "I want to," I answered honestly. "And I think I will, but right now, I'm just not sure." I shrugged. "I mean, everything's just happened so fast…" I trailed off.

"I understand. I'm not trying to pressure you, I'm just trying to get a better understanding of the situation. You understand, I'm sure; it was quite a shock to us when Edward returned from having gone to your wedding, and ended up bringing the bride home," she chuckled.

"Yeah, that was pretty unexpected for everyone," I told her.

"I imagine it was." She smiled at me warmly.

The conversation continued along similar lines until we had both finished our lunches. "Are there any other errands you'd like to run while we're out?" she asked me as we were leaving the restaurant.

"None that I can think of right now," I said.

"Okay. Well, you have my number now, so please call me if you need anything while you're here."

"Thank you, Esme." I knew that I _would_ call her if anything came up, too. Lunch with Esme had been wonderful. I'd enjoyed getting to know Edward's mother, and was glad that she seemed to accept me already.

x-x-x

When she dropped me off at Edward's building, it was after three o'clock in the afternoon. I hadn't realized that the conversation had taken that long, and was both shocked and pleased at the lateness of the day. Less than three hours to kill until Edward would be back. I entered the building, turning to wave at Esme before she pulled away from the curb. When I turned back to face the lobby, I was dismayed to see James; thankfully, Felix was there as well. Because he worked with James, he knew what his colleague was like, and quickly approached me before James had the chance. "Good afternoon, Miss Swan." He held his arm out to escort me to the elevator, and I willingly took it.

"Good afternoon, Felix."

"Did you have a nice afternoon?"

I wasn't sure where this fell on the appropriateness scale of doorman-tenant relations, but I liked Felix, so I answered anyway. "I did, thank you."

"Would you like me to escort you upstairs?"

"That would be nice, thanks, Felix." The only reason I agreed was because James was here. I didn't want to risk having him follow me up. The guy still gave me the creeps, regardless of what Edward said about him being harmless. Felix just nodded and followed me into the elevator. Once the doors were closed, I said, "Thank you. James makes me really uncomfortable."

"I know. Dr. Cullen told me and asked me to stay with you if you came home after James' shift started."

"Did he?"

"Yes, Miss Swan."

"What's it gonna take to get you to call me Bella?"

He chuckled. "Won't happen, Miss Swan. I'm a professional."

The elevator door slid open and Felix took my arm again, and together we walked to Edward's door. I dug around in the bottom of my purse until I found the keys Edward had left for me this morning, unlocked and opened the door, and thanked Felix again.

"It's my pleasure. Have a nice evening."

"You, too."

Then he turned and was gone. I entered the apartment and locked the door behind me. I wandered around for awhile, cleaning the already tidy apartment. After an hour of wiping non-existent dust off of every surface imaginable, I couldn't handle it anymore. I needed something to do. I pulled my phone out of my purse and toyed with it. It had been several hours since I'd texted Edward this morning. Maybe it would be okay to send another.

_I miss you, _I typed. Before I sent it, I got to thinking, and decided to add something. _Thank you for having Felix look after me this afternoon. I kinda like the way you're so protective. _Now it was ready to send.

I sat down at his computer, and turned it on. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it wasn't password protected. I logged onto the internet and checked my email. It had been a long time since I'd checked it, so not surprisingly, there were tons of messages in my inbox, mostly from wedding guests expressing their condolences at the sudden cancellation of the wedding. I replied to all of them, thanking them for their concern and letting them know that I was doing fine, despite the turn of events. None of them seemed to know the specifics of the cancellation, only that it had happened. _Figures, _I thought bitterly_. Leave it to the guy whose fault it is, and suddenly it's no one's fault. _I'd just sent the last of those messages out when my phone buzzed, nearly vibrating off of the desk, and making me jump in the process. Glancing at the tiny clock in the corner of the computer screen, I saw that it'd already been half an hour since I sat down. I picked up the phone and opened my new text message.

_I miss you, too._

I sighed. There was really no way to reply to that. I looked back to my email box, clicking next on the one from my mother.

_Bella,_

_I hope you're doing okay after what happened. Just wanted to write and let you know that we're thinking of you. Write back when you have time._

_We love you,_

_Mom and Dad_

Well, that was fairly painless. I clicked 'reply' and typed,

_Mom,_

_It's fine. I mean, yeah, it hurt at first, but I'm getting better, I promise. I'll be back on Sunday afternoon, and I'll come see you the weekend after that. We need to talk, but in person, not via email. I love you, too._

_Bella_

I closed out of Edward's computer after that. I didn't want to look at the rest of my messages tonight. I went into the kitchen, did an inventory of his cupboards—which were surprisingly well stocked considering he was a bachelor—and pulled out the ingredients for spaghetti. While I waited for the hamburger to thaw in the microwave, I was pleasantly surprised to hear my phone ring. I was even happier when I saw that it was Edward calling. "Hey," I greeted happily.

"Hi." He sounded tired, but also like he was smiling. "My last appointment of the night cancelled, so I'm on my way home now. So far traffic's not too bad, but you never know. I should be there within a half hour or so."

"That's perfect. I just started dinner. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not. I told you to make yourself at home. If you want to cook in my kitchen, you can. You don't have to, though, you know," he continued. "You're on vacation; we can order in."

"There's no reason to go out or order in every night just because it's technically my vacation. That's silly. And since I'm here, and you're at work, it's even more ridiculous for you to come home and cook. Besides, I enjoy cooking."

"I know you do. It just seems wrong of me to have you doing my housework while you're supposed to be my guest."

"I'll make you a deal then; you can clean up."

"Fair enough," he laughed.

"Drive safely, alright? I'll see you soon."

"Will do," he promised.

"Okay, bye."

"Bye."

By the time he arrived, I was just pouring the pasta into a colander in the sink, and the sauce was bubbling on the stovetop.

As soon as I heard the key turning in the lock, I turned both burners off and hurried to the entryway; I was so excited to see him. When he opened the door and saw me waiting, he grinned. He took the two steps over to me and cupped my face in his hands. My hands found their way to his hair of their own accord. He slowly lowered his face toward mine and I closed my eyes.

His mouth found mine and I knew in that moment that I was done. Kissing him as he arrived home from work was the perfect culmination of the day, something I wanted to do every day. I felt a similar vibe coming off of him, like he wanted nothing more than to stand there and kiss me all night, too. I felt like I was being swept off my feet, perfectly happy to stand there as long as he wanted, but then I remembered the food in the other room. "Spaghetti," I mumbled around his kisses.

He pulled away slightly—just far enough to be able to talk easily, not so far as to lose the intimate connection—and resting his forehead against mine said, "What did you say?"

"Spaghetti. I cooked, remember?"

"I do remember. I also know that spaghetti noodles are remarkably inexpensive and that spaghetti sauce reheats well."

"You sure know a lot," I teased.

"Mm," he grinned, leaning in for another kiss, which I eagerly returned. "I especially know how much I want you right now," he gently guided me backwards into the room, nudging the front door shut with his foot behind him.

"Oh, really?"

Instead of responding verbally, he grabbed my hips and pulled me close to him; I could clearly feel the truth in his statement through his black dress slacks. He smirked down at me when I gasped at the realization of what he was suggesting. "Spaghetti sauce does reheat well," I agreed.

We walked hand in hand down the hallway in his apartment, not too slowly, not too quickly. He rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb as we walked, expressing his contentment silently. It felt different good to be walking through the apartment, holding hands like two people in a relationship. _Which is exactly what we are, _I thought happily.

I looked up at his handsome face and saw that he was appraising me reverently as we entered his bedroom. As we did, he stopped and moved to stand in front of me, never taking his eyes off of mine when he slid his free hand slowly up my arm, over my shoulder, grazing my collarbone very delicately with his thumb and then raising his hand to cup my face, placing his thumb first under my chin and then settling it against my cheek and his long fingers sliding around into my hair at the back of my neck.

"You take my breath away, Bella," he practically whispered, "and I'm so glad you're here."

"I'm glad I'm here too," I moaned, and then Edward leaned in and brushed his lips softly against mine, before planting a gentle kiss.

I couldn't help but think about how different we were this time even from yesterday when Jasper's phone call had interrupted us. I knew already that this time would be all about passion, and not at all about simply having sex.

In the quiet dimness of the bedroom, he leaned in and kissed me again. I liked kissing him, I decided. I liked how I didn't have to think about it, how it had always come naturally with Edward. I liked the sparks that were ever-present in the air whenever we were together, especially like this. I liked how his lips felt while they moved against mine. I especially liked tasting his unique flavor when he granted me the honor of slipping my tongue inside his mouth. I liked allowing him the same privilege.

When I reached up to loosen his tie, he took half a step back to allow me easier access, while letting go of my hand and placing his on the small of my back. Once I'd dropped his tie on the floor to my left, I started with his buttons, pushing each one through its buttonhole and marveling at his perfectly sculpted body as more and more of it was revealed. When I opened the last button, I slowly and meticulously pulled his shirt tails from his pants and pushed his shirt down over his shoulders, as he released his grip on my body just long enough to allow his shirt to fall behind him. My hands found themselves rubbing his perfectly toned chest and abdomen in awe, all the while never allowing my mouth to leave his.

Though I hadn't planned or expected this to happen tonight, I was suddenly glad for my wardrobe selection. I didn't want to stop kissing him right now, and the fact that I'd also worn a button-up blouse rather than a pullover and a front closing bra made that possible as he opened up my shirt and unfastened my bra just as slowly and carefully as I had been with his. When we were bare from the waist up, we both stepped closer together at the same time, like we were being drawn together. I put my arms around his waist as he slipped one around mine; our kisses grew more urgent. We were still in no hurry, but the intensity and that palpable spark in the room were pushing us on. _I wonder if he can feel it too?_

He slipped his hand up the bottom of my skirt, all the way to the top of my thighs, as I gasped for the second time since he'd been home. I could feel his mouth curve into a smile against my own; clearly he was as pleased as I was. He felt the moisture in my underwear, pushing slightly against me through the thin fabric. As he rubbed against me my breathing picked up and was soon so erratic I didn't know how I was getting any oxygen to my brain at all. Maybe I wasn't; I was having trouble forming any thoughts, much less coherent ones.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered against my lips. I was too far gone already to respond audibly. Instead, I slipped my tongue into his mouth again. He seemed to understand what I was trying to convey, and didn't seem offended at all at my lack of verbalization. He pulled his hand back out of my skirt, and I fought back a whimper. I knew he'd have a plan, knew that he wouldn't leave me unsatisfied. I was surprised when I felt a sense of urgency, having felt him so close and yet so far from what I wanted. He hooked his thumbs into the elastic waistbands of my skirt and panties together, pushing both down at the same time. I was left standing in front of him, completely naked and feelings of vulnerability flooded over me. "Stunning," he murmured, gazing at my nude form. I felt the blush creep over my entire body, but Edward seemed to like that as well; he grinned at the reaction he'd caused in me.

I found my voice just long enough to ask him one little question; just two words. "May I?" I asked as I placed my hands on the button on his slacks. He just nodded slightly, a single little head bob of affirmation. Before long, his pants and boxer-briefs had joined the rest of our clothes on the floor. I accepted his outstretched hand as we slowly climbed onto his bed, and laid down together with me on my back and Edward leaning over me from my side, one of his thighs moving to rest between mine. The weight of his upper body rested partially on one perched elbow and forearm leaning on the mattress beside me while his other forearm and hand moved freely first up and then down my body, slowly but eagerly exploring mine while I was exploring his, as our tongues resumed searching each other's mouths.

When I started to get impatient at the slow pace and pushed my hips closer to him, looking for any kind of friction to relieve the tension that was building within me, he whispered into my ear, "I love you, Bella," and moved his other thigh between mine as I opened them wider to accommodate him. Edward knew I was ready for him with how wet I was and pressed the head of his own arousal against my center from the top to the bottom and back up again; I hissed at his touch and Edward was spurred on by the sounds I was making. He entered me, swiftly and completely, groaning with every inch.

There was nothing rushed or urgent about his movements this time. He was truly _making love _to me. I could feel the difference. This was much more than sex to him.

I lifted my hips to meet his as he slowly slid in and out, craving not only his body, but the intense intimacy and love that was radiating off of him. He'd said the words many times now, and it wasn't that I doubted him before, but the way he was moving right now was so sweet and tender, I couldn't keep the tears from pooling in my eyes and eventually slipping down my temples onto the pillow. _This man truly loves me. More than that, he is _in love_ with me. And I'm not entirely sure I deserve him._

Edward must have noticed me crying, because soon after my first tear was shed he stopped moving inside me and looked at me with so much concern that his eyebrows furrowed. "Bella, you're crying. What's wrong?"

"I'm fine, please don't stop." He was being so loving, I didn't want him to know what I was feeling…not now. I felt so good being this close to him, but at the same time I felt like I was being unfair. He deserved all of me and I was just not there yet…not yet.

Nearly as soon as I had that thought, his movements picked up. The slow pace was wonderful on an emotional level, but our physical needs quickly overtook them. We moved together in perfect synchronicity, kissing and panting and touching each other the entire time. "I'm close, love," he panted.

I hadn't reached my climax yet, but I no longer cared about myself; my focus now was on making sure he felt good. "Then come," I told him, tears still streaming down my face.

"But you haven't yet," he said, and without waiting for a response, he reached his hand down like he had the last time we'd been together and began rubbing me while he continued to move in and out.

As much as I fought it, feeling like I didn't deserve to be here with him—not yet at least—much less having him make me feel so good, I couldn't keep my orgasm at bay. I came hard around him, and he paused his thrusts. Based on the smile on his face, he was simply relishing the feeling of my walls clenching around him. My breathing was labored, and he waited, not moving at all, for me to come back to earth, which had to have been pure torture for him. When my breathing had slowed to its normal pace, he picked up his movements again, and I wrapped my arms around him, rubbing my nails across his shoulders, coaxing him, trying to show how much he meant to me; while I wasn't ready to admit love yet, I did care for him deeply, and I did the very best I could to convey that to him through my words and movements. "I want to feel you come inside me," I whispered to him, trying my best to be seductive despite the tears. That was all it took for him to lose his resolve, and with one final thrust, I felt his warmth flood into me.

Feeling this wonderful man, who was in love with me, achieve the best physical feeling one can have was nothing short of pure bliss. But I still couldn't shake the feeling that I didn't deserve him, and that was what caused the tears to start all over again. As he pulled out, he reached over and wiped the tears from my cheeks. "What's wrong, my love?" he said quietly.

And, because it was Edward asking, I was compelled to answer truthfully and honestly, without thinking about it, or understanding why I was so open; I just spoke without reservation. "I _want_ to love you," I told him, echoing the words I'd spoken to his mother a few hours before. It was that one little word, just four letters, that was the difference between what he felt and what I felt: _want_. He already felt the feelings I wished I could, and knowing that he deserved the same love in return, well, that made me cry even harder. "But I can't yet; I need time. I mean, it was just _two days ago_ that everything hit the fan."

"And what you need most right now is a friend," he said.

I bit my lip and nodded. "I do want to be with you, though," I continued. "Really and truly. And I swear, I _am_ ready for that fresh start we talked about in Seattle." We were lying on our sides now, facing each other. My arms were wrapped around his neck, his around my waist.

"Okay," he said slowly, quietly. "What about what's happened so far? Between us?"

"I don't regret a single thing that's happened so far. Not one bit."

He looked at me, and his eyes sparkled just a bit when I spoke those words. "Neither do I," he told me. "Regardless of what decision you make, I will _never_ regret this."

I smiled at him, glad that he seemed to understand what I was saying and that it didn't seem to be having too negative of an effect on his feelings for me. "Do you still want to be my boyfriend?" I asked.

He looked shocked that I would ask such a question. "I thought you wanted to slow down?" he asked, instead of answering my question.

"I think we should, a little at least, but that doesn't mean that we can't still be a couple. I think we should just take it down a notch, start with hand holding and cuddling and spending time together. You know, _dating_."

He chuckled lightly. "I've loved you—well, I've _realized_ that I've loved you for months, Bella. I'll do anything for you. If you want to slow down, I'll do it. If you want to limit our touching to cuddling and hand-holding, I'll do it. Anything for you I'm perfectly happy even waiting on having sex with you again, because next time, I want for you to feel certain you're ready."

"Really?" That seemed like an ironic thing to say as we were lying in each other's arms, completely naked. I could see in his eyes that he was telling the truth, though. There was not one trace of dishonesty in his face. And he confirmed it with his next word.

"Really."

"So we're still going to be in this relationship, but…" I started, trailing off.

"We'll take it slow, and keep our physical…desires at bay for now," he finished my thought for the second time that evening. "Until _you're_ ready. You are all that is important to me now. My life is nothing without you."

I could not have asked to have a better man fall in love with me. Never in a million years would I have guessed that a guy could be capable of having such intense feelings for anyone—especially me—that he'd deny his own physical needs to keep me happy. "Thank you," I told him. Tears were sliding down my face again, but now they were tears of happiness rather than grief.

In return, he took my hand in his and kissed it. The spaghetti was forgotten, but it didn't matter anymore. I was the luckiest girl in the world.

**Thanks for reading. Please review :). **

**Also, starting with chapter 14, I will begin posting pics for some of the things I imagine in my profile. Things such as clothes, cars, etc… will be there. If there's something specific appearing in a chapter, I'll try to remember to remind you to check out the links. I'm not terribly fashion-conscious (I'm more of a Bella than an Alice), so I won't describe clothes that often, but when I do, I'll try to post pics of what I envision to help you out in seeing what I see :). The one for the cars is already up; it'll just take you to the 'Cullen Cars' page on Stephenie Meyer's site.**


	14. First Official Date

**A/N: Normal stuff first: **

**I don't own **_**Twilight**_**. **

**Special thanks to my friends, Gerri (super beta extraordinaire) and Rory (the best pre-reader a girl could hope for), for making my story look like a super hero with their beautiful red and blue correction marks :). **

**And of course, thanks to you, for reading.**

**Okay, like I said last week, starting with this chapter, there are links to pics of outfits etc on my profile. For this chapter, check out "Bella's Date Dress." Also, I've included a link to Stephenie Meyer's site for all the cars I use in this story; I've stayed canon for the most part regarding the vehicles, so I'll just piggy-back on the research she's already done.**

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

**Edward **

I loved my job. I loved helping people. That's why I chose medicine as a career. There was very little as satisfying as assuring a young child that he was healthy, or a school-age girl that her arm was not broken after all, or listening to an unborn infant's heartbeat for the first time with its parents. Even better than that was showing them a picture of their child on the ultrasound screen. That was nearly magical.

Today, though, all I could think about was getting out of the office and going home. I forced myself to focus during the time I was actually in the patients' rooms, but in between, and definitely now, during my lunch break, my every thought was on Bella. I had one week—well, now five and half days—to assure her that she was making the right decision. She'd explained to me the hurt that she was feeling, and it had come across as almost guilt for not returning my feelings. Guilt was the last thing I wanted her to be feeling.

She'd mentioned that she liked it when I left her notes, that it helped to keep her grounded in remembering how our relationship had begun, so I made sure to do that again this morning when I rose from the bed. She was still asleep; I'd been a little surprised that she'd slept all night long, considering she'd fallen asleep quickly after our conversation, skipping dinner altogether. I'd felt a little guilty about that; she had taken time out of her day to cook, and I'd ignored the effort, pulling her into my bedroom instead. So after she'd fallen asleep, I snuck back to the kitchen and cooked a small serving of fresh pasta, reheated the sauce and had some. It had been exquisite, and I'd said so in today's note. I'd put the rest in a plastic zipper baggie in the fridge for her to be able to eat for lunch today.

I was just starting to think about where to go for lunch when the phone on my desk rang, pulling me out of my thoughts and back to reality. I looked quickly at my schedule, making sure that I hadn't forgotten an appointment or something, but my calendar was clear for this hour. I picked up the phone with a tentative, "Hello?"

"Dr. Cullen?"

"Yes."

"This is Kate up front. There's a woman here to see you. She says her name is Bella and that she's your girlfriend." Kate sounded skeptical, as if she didn't believe Bella's claim. I could practically see Kate eyeing Bella up and down from here. Kate was attractive in a traditional way, blonde hair, blue eyes, plump red lips. In my eyes, though, she had nothing on Bella.

I was thrilled at the news of Bella's arrival, and ignored Kate's incredulity. "Thank you, Kate. I'll be right out." I hung up the phone and stood from my chair, walking briskly out of my office and through the corridors to the doorway that led to the waiting room. When I opened the door, a whole roomful of people, including Kate, looked up expectantly. It was quite amusing, actually, especially when I said, "Bella?" and the rest of them instantly went back to their various activities. She stood and walked over to me, grinning from ear to ear, clutching a paper sack in one hand. As soon as she was close enough for me to touch her, I placed my hand on the small of her back, leading her back through the door and allowing it to shut behind us. As soon as that door was shut, before we'd taken even one step closer to my office, she stopped and wrapped her arms around me in an intimate hug.

She kissed my jaw and said, "I didn't want to wait till six tonight, so I brought lunch to you. I hope that's okay."

Returning her hug, I glanced over her head at Kate, who was watching us, looking livid. "It is definitely okay," I assured Bella. I ushered her down the hallway into my office before she could see Kate's reaction to our embrace.

I opened my office door for her, and followed her in, closing the door behind us. "You have impeccable timing," I told her. "I was just trying to figure out whether or not to leave for lunch."

"Well, I'm glad I made it in time," she replied.

"Me, too. I'd much rather eat here with you than go out by myself."

She smiled and pulled out a deli sandwich, which had been cut into two pieces. Handing me one, she said, "Speaking of going out, do you have any big plans for tonight?"

I debated for a second teasing her about her presumptions that we would be going out, but decided against it after remembering last night. She'd seemed so fragile; I didn't want to break her down any further. "I do plan to take you out, but I do not plan to give you any details in advance," I told her.

"Well, aren't you a tease, doctor," she said coyly, smirking at me.

"Is it so wrong to want to surprise my girlfriend?" I asked her. The truth was that I didn't have a clue what we'd do tonight. I knew she wanted to go out, and I would take her, but my job didn't provide much opportunity for planning dates. I hoped she couldn't read the bluff on my face.

"Of course not," she replied sweetly, turning my favorite color of pink.

"Why are you blushing?" I asked, wanting to laugh, but holding back, not wanting to embarrass her further. Although, I couldn't figure out why she'd be embarrassed by anything I'd said.

"I just like hearing you say that. You know, calling me your girlfriend." She dropped her eyes to her lap as she spoke.

I was glad in that moment that I'd sat next to her in the second chair on the 'guest' side of my desk rather than putting the large piece of furniture between us. I reached over to her face and lifted her chin with one finger. When she was looking at me again, I whispered, "Not as much as I like saying it." The pink flush on her cheeks deepened until it could no longer be called _pink_; she was now fully red. She'd included kissing in her list of appropriate contact last night, so I leaned in and gently brushed my lips against hers. I sat back and took a bite of the sandwich.

"So, I have a question," she said, after returning to her normal color.

"Shoot."

"Why did you decide that you wanted to talk on the phone with me? You know, a couple months ago?"

I chuckled once and ran my free hand—the one not holding the sandwich—through my hair absentmindedly. "Well, it was right after I got the email from you saying that you were getting married. By that point, I'd already realized that I wanted to be with you, to be more than just your pen pal."

"Really? That long ago?" she breathed.

"Yeah. And if I'm being perfectly honest, I was frustrated by your news. I thought I was too late. You were getting married, that was it. I'd lost my chance. But then I was talking to Jasper one night after work, and he basically said that until you said those vows, it wasn't too late. He suggested that I not give up on you, despite your situation." I paused, looking at her face for some reaction, but for once, she hid her emotions well. "So, I guess it was a covert attempt to somehow win you over. Of course, I wasn't going to try to break up your engagement, but I wanted to make sure you knew you had options." We had both stopped eating at this point, and just sat there, watching each other as we talked. Realizing that I was no longer eating the sandwich, I set it down and reached over to gently touch her face. I continued talking as I stroked her cheeks. "After I sent that final piece of the instant message, the one with my phone number, I was so nervous."

"You were nervous? Why?"

"I was terrified that you were going to tell me to screw off, that you never wanted anything to do with me again. But at that point, it was too late; the request was already out there. So I sat there, palms sweating, heart practically pounding out of my chest, waiting for some sort of reaction from you. And then you called." I smiled at her, conveying without words the happiness I'd had upon seeing the unfamiliar phone number appear on my caller ID screen.

"I was afraid to make the call that first time, too," she admitted. "That's why it took me so long to call you. I must've dialed your number three or four times, and chickened out every time before I finally hit the send button. But then, when I heard your voice for the first time, it was totally worth it."

Stroking her face with the back of my hand, I said, "I agree." I chanced a glance at my wall clock, and realized that my free time was more than half over; I picked up the sandwich again and took another bite. "This is fabulous, thank you," I told her, gesturing the food.

"You're welcome," she said. She'd picked up her sandwich and taken another bite, too.

We ate in comfortable silence for several minutes, until the food was gone, then I reluctantly told her, "I should probably get back to work. My schedule picks up again soon." What I actually needed to do was plan the evening out.

"Okay. I'll miss you," she said, initiating the contact this time, and leaning in to kiss me gently.

Lifting my hand up to her hair, and allowing my fingers to weave into her locks, I held her in place for perhaps longer than was strictly necessary, but she didn't complain. In fact, when I pulled away after a moment, she sighed softly. "I'll miss you, too," I assured her. Then I had a sudden inspiration. Reaching into my back pocket, I pulled out my wallet and extracted my Visa card. Handing it to her, I said, "Call my mom, and have her take you shopping. Find something fun and flirty you can wear tonight, but also comfortable." I was getting an idea of where I could take her, and I was already imagining her in a knee-length skirt. I hoped she'd pick the same type of outfit I was imagining right now. A visit to Navy Pier in the summertime was something no one should miss when vacationing in Chicago.

She eyed the credit card in my hand skeptically. "You don't have to give me your card; I have my own credit cards, I can afford my own clothes."

"True, but you also probably don't _need_ new clothes right now, and I'm guessing you don't really like to splurge on yourself. I'm asking you to do just that, buy a new outfit, something really nice for our first official date. Because I'm requesting that you do this, it's only fair that I pay for it." The more I thought about this, the better the idea seemed. All the clothes she'd brought with her on this trip had been clothes she'd chosen for her honeymoon, and tonight, I didn't want that hanging over our heads. I wanted her in something new, something chosen especially for me.

"Fine," she said, taking the card.

"Use it. Please," I insisted, because even though she took the card, it looked like she was considering blowing off the request anyway.

"Okay," she agreed finally. "I'll call your mom and go shopping. With your card," she added, rolling her eyes.

"Thank you," I told her. I never wanted to overestimate anything with Bella. Now that she was here, and we were together, I never wanted to take anything she said or did with me for granted.

"So, I'll see you tonight, then?" she confirmed.

"Yeah. Wait at the apartment, and I'll meet you there. I'll need to grab a quick shower and change of clothes, and if you're ready, we'll leave right away."

"Okay, Edward. I look forward to it." She stood to leave, and I rose from my chair as well, walking with my hand on her back, guiding her to the door.

Kate was still sitting at her post behind the front desk, and when Bella and I emerged from my office, she was once again shooting daggers at us with her eyes. Bella glanced over and flinched when she saw Kate's glare aimed toward us. I leaned in and whispered through her hair, "Don't worry about her. She's just jealous of you." Bella looked up at me, blushing again, and smiled slightly. I spoke a little louder, making sure that Kate heard me, not out of pettiness, but just to drive the point home that she shouldn't try anything with me, "I love you, Bella. I'll see you tonight."

"I know you do," she responded. Then, with a quick kiss to my cheek, she was through the door and gone.

I stood there for a moment, still in awe that she was _with_ me. Bella was my girlfriend. Mine. It had never really hit me until this very moment. And suddenly, I was feeling very possessive.

I don't know for sure how long I stood there, feeling that sense of possessiveness and pride rushing through me like adrenaline, but when I was finally able to pull myself out of my stupor, I saw Kate staring at me again. "What was that all about?" she practically snarled.

"What, lunch with my girlfriend?" I asked. "It was just that, lunch." I never had much issue with Kate before; she'd attempted to make advances toward me, but I'd always politely expressed to her that I wasn't interested. Whether Bella had agreed to be with me or not, there was no way I would have gone out with Kate regardless. I wasn't interested in mixing work with pleasure.

"So she was telling the truth?" Kate asked unbelievingly.

"Yes, Kate, Bella was telling the truth. We are together."

"And you're okay with her responding to 'I love you' with 'I know'?"

"You know what, Kate? You are out of line. I am a doctor in this clinic, and therefore your superior. I don't appreciate what you're implying. Frankly, it's none of your business, anyway. Now, I'm going back to my office; I have a few minutes left on my lunch break and some research to do. I trust that you have enough to keep you busy with your job, without continuing to hassle me about my personal life."

I was glad to see that my harsh words seemed to have done the trick. Kate was looking appropriately abashed. I walked briskly back to my office and spent what few minutes I had left of lunch confirming the details I'd need to know for our visit to Navy Pier tonight. There were a few things I wasn't sure of; I hadn't been there since I was child. I finished the research I needed to do regarding our date just as it was time for my first afternoon appointment. I walked into the examination room and greeted my patient, trying very hard to keep my contented grin in check.

x-x-x

The rest of the afternoon passed more quickly than I would have thought, considering what I had to look forward to that evening. Before I knew it, it was six o'clock and the clinic was closing for the evening. I avoided Kate as I walked through the waiting room and out the front door of the clinic to the parking lot. I unlocked and got into my Aston Martin V12 Vanquish that had been a gift from my grandparents when I'd finished medical school. I took the back way home to avoid as much of the traffic as possible, and made it there in record time; I was home by 6:15.

When I got home, Bella was not waiting at the door for me. I decided that she was probably getting ready, considering I was early. I walked down the short hall toward the bathroom and my suspicions were confirmed when I heard the shower running. I needed a shower before we went out, too, but I didn't want to walk in on her. So I went to my computer to kill time waiting for her to finish. I could have just used the other bathroom, but there was no rush and I didn't want to freak her out by having the second shower running when she emerged. It wasn't long before the water turned off. I stood and walked toward the bathroom, hoping she'd come out and finish getting ready in one of the bedrooms so that I could shower. Of course, that also had the added benefit of seeing her in a towel, and I was not disappointed.

Within seconds of my walk down the hallway, the door opened and Bella came tumbling out. Literally. She was wrapped in a towel, just like I'd imagined, and she tripped over something I couldn't see on the floor, falling flat on her face as the towel fell off of her, leaving her wet and naked on my floor. I tried to avert my eyes, and reached out to help her up. "Are you okay, Bella?"

She jumped in surprise; apparently, she hadn't seen me. Recovering quickly from her shock, she said, "What are you doing here?" She rose slowly, and still avoiding looking anywhere but at her eyes, I reached out to help her up.

"I live here, remember?" I laughed.

"Right. I meant, what are you doing here so soon? I thought you said six thirty?" She was standing now, and had replaced the towel so that it was covering her private areas.

"I wanted to see you. Of course, I didn't expect to see quite so much after our discussion last night, but I'm not complaining." She turned a brilliant shade of red, and I smiled down at her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you." I grabbed her hand and led her into the bedroom where her suitcase was. "I need a turn in the shower, so go ahead and finish getting ready in here; I'll be out soon and we can go."

"Okay," she agreed.

When I exited the bathroom after finishing in the shower, I draped my towel around my waist and walked into my bedroom to find it vacant. I finished drying and dressed quickly in jeans and a black button-down shirt, anxious to see my Bella again.

Once I was dressed, I walked to the living room and found her sitting gingerly on the edge of the couch, looking stunning in a royal blue dress. It stopped right at her knees, flowing from under her bust, where it looked like there was a wide belt made from the same material as the rest of the dress. The top came up in a 'v' pattern and wrapped around her neck. Her chestnut hair was flowing around her shoulders, and the combination of her hair and dress accentuated her collarbone beautifully. As soon as I saw her, I stopped walking and stared, because she had truly taken my breath away.

She noticed me stop and smiled, obviously pleased with my reaction to her dress. "Is this fun and flirty enough for you?" she murmured, standing and walking toward me.

I cleared my throat. "Er, yeah. Definitely. You look amazing."

"Thank you, Edward. And thank you for the dress, too."

Coming back to my senses, I wrapped one arm around her shoulder and said, "You are more than welcome. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, let's go!" She was positively glowing.

We rode the elevator down, and because it was evening, I knew James was on duty. I held Bella close to me as we walked through the lobby, knowing that he made her uncomfortable. I didn't understand it; he'd never been anything but nice to me, but I was prepared to protect Bella from any threat, real or imagined. Wisely, James didn't try anything tonight; he simply bid us a nice evening.

When we got to the parking lot, I pushed the button on my keychain to disengage the automatic locks. I helped her into the car and shut the door gently behind her. Once I had joined her in the car, she said, "Wow; I've never been in a car this fancy before."

"It was a gift from my grandparents when I finished medical school," I explained. "My parents weren't thrilled with them giving me such an extravagant gift, but my grandfather was persistent. In his opinion, it was a big enough deal that he wanted to acknowledge it. So here we are."

"Wow. I've never gotten a gift like this before," she murmured.

"You will," I promised her. I would make sure of that.

After a few moments of silence, she asked, "So, where are we going this beautiful summer evening?"

"Someplace you can't skip when visiting Chicago," I told her. "Navy Pier."

"Ooh, I've heard of it. This'll be fun," she said.

I first took her to my favorite place for dinner, and afterward we did all the typical Pier activities, including the famous Ferris wheel. When we'd played carnival games, and ridden rides, and eaten so much junk food we both thought we would be sick, we stood standing on the actual pier of Navy Pier, looking out over Lake Michigan. We were holding hands with our fingers intertwined, just watching the water in silence. When she spoke, it was nearly a whisper. "I'm really enjoying myself tonight, Edward. In fact, every day with you has been incredible, but do you know what my favorite part of all has been?"

"What?" I asked.

"Meeting you in the airport. The way you held my hand that night was so…sweet. Like you didn't want to let go."

"I didn't," I said, squeezing her hand now in emphasis of my words. "Still don't." She looked at me and smiled.

"That night was kind of scary, too, though," she said tentatively.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I knew how you felt then, of course, but I was with Emmett still. Then seeing you, and feeling you, and really knowing that you were real, I wasn't sure what to think. Up until that very moment when you grabbed me into that hug, I'd been so sure that I was making the right decision, being with him. But then you touched me, and it was like an electric spark, you know what I mean?"

"I do. I felt that, too. I still feel it every time I touch you."

She beamed at me, pleased that I felt the physical connection between our two bodies. "But I was scared, because for the first time, I wondered whether or not I was doing the right thing. It was so close to the wedding, though, that I didn't want to do anything to jeopardize my relationship with Emmett. Turns out it didn't matter anyway," she scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Hey." I paused until she looked at me. "You did nothing wrong. You have to believe that. You upheld your end of the bargain; you were ready to take the vows. The blame lies solely with him." This was a point I kept trying to drive home, and I hoped she understood, though I was never sure.

"You know what else I liked?" she went on, not acknowledging my previous statement at all.

"What's that?"

"The way I felt when I heard your voice on the phone. After we hung up that first time, all I wanted was to hear your voice again. I didn't know how I'd gone so long without hearing it. From that very first call, I began to crave hearing your voice."

I smirked. I'd always been pretty humble, but she was really feeding my ego tonight. "I loved talking to you, too. I was glad when we added that dimension to our relationship. Even the time you called me all mad because I'd sent the wrong letter."

"You know, that was an interesting phone call. I was so mad when I first called you, but your voice, your demeanor was so concerned, and ashamed, and sorrowful and you sounded so sincere that I just couldn't stay mad. It was kind of a weird sensation. I really wanted to be mad at you that night, and we ended up talking for a long time instead. And I enjoyed every minute of it."

"I still am sorry about that, by the way."

"Don't be. I'm glad you sent that letter. I have no idea what I would've done…that night if I hadn't been sure of your feelings."

"I thought you said you didn't know whose door you'd crashed into," I reminded her.

"Okay. Then, I don't know what I would have done the next morning," she amended.

"Well, I'm glad I had the room right across from you guys so that you could bump into my door."

"Me, too."

She shivered, and I noticed that she didn't have a jacket with her. The sun had set, and without its beams shining down, the temperature had dropped drastically. I removed my jacket and moved to stand behind her while she peered out over the water. I wrapped my jacket around her shoulders and hugged her close to me. Before much more time had passed, the fireworks started. It was a tradition on Navy Pier, the fireworks. We stood and watched them exploding over the water in dozens of different colors. When the first one exploded with a big, deep boom, I whispered in her ear, "Those are my favorites; the low booms."

The very next one was the kind that crackles and sounds like a steak sizzling when it first hits a hot pan. "_Those_ are my favorites," she told me. The fireworks continued for over thirty minutes and when they'd finished, Bella was completely awestruck. "That was much more impressive than any of the fireworks shows in Seattle," she murmured.

"It is a good show," I agreed. "I'm glad you enjoyed it; I thought you would."

"I did. Thank you for bringing me." Just then Bella turned around in my arms and wrapped hers around my waist, resting her head on my chest, while I kept my arms wrapped snugly around her. It was a perfect night, I thought, a beautiful first date, the first of many, I hoped. We stood there at the Pier for a while longer, rocking back and forth, holding each other close and just enjoying the moment.

Then I kissed the top of her head as I asked her, "Are you ready to go home?"

"Yes, Edward, let's go home."

**A/N: Yes, I know that this chapter takes place on a Tuesday, and that Navy Pier only does fireworks on Wednesdays and Saturdays (I did my research *smile*), but this is a fictional story, so I took a slight liberty there. **

**Thanks for reading, please review! Remember to check out Bella's dress at **

**http:/s892(dot)photobucket(dot)com(slash)albums(slash)ac121(slash)wmr1601(slash)PP%20Story%20pics(slash)?action=view¤t;=PPdresschapter14(dot)jpg**

**That's kind of complicated; it'd probably just be easier for you to find the link, which is on my profile :).**


	15. The First Time

**A/N: Just the normal stuff: **

**I don't own **_**Twilight**_**. **

**Special thanks to my friends, Gerri (super beta extraordinaire) and Rory (the best pre-reader a girl could hope for), for making my story look like a super hero with their beautiful red and blue correction marks :). **

**And of course, thanks to you, for reading. I passed the 100-review mark with the last chapter, so thanks guys! Keep reading, reviewing, and recommending this story to your friends!**

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

**Edward **

The week had flown by. I was actually a little depressed that it was already Saturday; tomorrow, I'd have to take Bella to the airport for her return trip to Seattle. I tried not to think about that; instead, I remembered the week that we'd had here. We'd gone out, stayed in, and visited my parents again; done just about everything I could think of to give Bella an idea of what life here would be like. We'd even taken one evening to visit my grandfather, who lived about a half-hour's drive away. Of course, he'd been as taken with Bella as I had been.

She'd been extremely understanding about my work situation, too, not even complaining when I got paged right before quitting time Thursday evening when one of my patients was admitted to the hospital. It turned out to be nothing serious, but it had required several extra hours of work that night. It had been several months since I'd worked that many hours in a day, and I'd come home exhausted, after Bella had gone to bed, and hadn't even made it to the bedroom. I'd collapsed onto the couch in the living room, too tired to physically walk any further. When I woke up, I discovered that Bella had come out part way through the night and covered me with a blanket. It was little things like that which confirmed to me every day that she was who I wanted, who I needed. Everything about our relationship was so effortless, and even if she wasn't ready to say the words yet, her actions showed me that she loved me. I didn't need to hear the words—yet—to be assured that we were moving in the right direction.

We'd had two important things happen this week; one was something I didn't want to think about just yet, and the other had been last night, when we'd arrived back here after going out. Just like on Tuesday night at the Pier, I'd asked her if she was ready to go 'home,' not really thinking about the possible connotation that such a simple word could have.

"_Do you realize that you're already thinking of _your_ place as _our_ place?" she'd asked. "This is the second time this week you've asked me if I'm ready to go 'home.' Not 'back to my place,' but _'home.' _That's a pretty important distinction."_

_I paused, thinking about this before responding. I hadn't realized that before, and I told her as such. "You're right, though," I said. "I love having you here, and even though it's been such a short time, I already can't imagine the place without you. I can't imagine _me_ without you."_

"_I can't imagine me without you, either," she said. _

I remembered the way it'd felt when she'd said that, like I was soaring. It was another one of those little things, like the blanket, that she'd done showing me that she loves me. I was sure of that. She may not realize it yet, or maybe she did and just wasn't willing to admit it, but the love between us was no longer one-sided. The memory made me smile.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" she asked me, tapping my nose with one of her flour-covered fingers.

"You," I told her, returning the gesture—although my fingers were clean. The corners of my mouth turned up in a smile as I watched her in adoration. She looked amazing, so happy and content, doing domestic duties, like cooking and baking for us. I knew, of course, that I couldn't expect her to do this all the time; that wasn't her personality, otherwise she wouldn't have spent the time or money going to law school to secure herself a stable career, but I couldn't help admiring her in this way nonetheless. She blushed and returned to her work.

Bella was making chicken pot pies from scratch, and was currently working on rolling out the pie crust dough. I stepped up behind her, wrapped my arms around her waist, and whispered in her ear, "You don't have to do that from scratch, you know. They already love you, especially my mom. There's no reason to feel like you have to impress them." I leaned down and kissed her neck.

Other than a slight shiver, she ignored me. I smirked and released her, resuming my post on one of the bar stools on the other side of the island in the kitchen. I'd offered to help, considering I was a fair cook myself, but she'd insisted that she wanted to prepare this meal on her own. Watching her work filled me with a sense of awe and pride I'd never felt before. I couldn't take my eyes off of her.

When she placed the individual-sized pies in the oven thirty minutes before my family was scheduled to arrive, she washed her hands and removed her apron. Miraculously, all of the mess had stayed on the apron and her clothes were clean. She set the timer and we walked together to the living room. I sat on the couch and pulled her into my lap. She squealed and stiffened, but when I wrapped my arms around her, she relaxed quickly. She lowered her face to mine and kissed me sweetly, tenderly. We sat there, making out like a couple of sixteen-year-olds, until the intercom buzzed. Extracting our limbs from around one another, and fixing our hair—well, Bella fixed her hair, mine was always a spiky mess—and smoothing out our clothes, we rose from the couch, and both sighed happily. I walked over to the wall unit and pushed the call button. "Hello?"

"Yes, Dr. Cullen, your mother, father, and brother are here," came James' voice through the speaker. Bella still hadn't gotten over her aversion to the Friday-through-Tuesday nighttime doorman, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw her cringe at his voice.

"Thank you, James. Send them up," I replied. I still didn't get why Bella got such a strong negative vibe from him, but it didn't matter whether or not I understood it. What mattered was that she did, so I would do my best to make sure she felt safe here, no matter what. I was fairly confident that he would never try anything with her, but if she was worried about him, I wouldn't question her cringing around him, and would do my best to make sure she never had to go out alone during his shift. That was the most I could do about the situation. When we went out together during those times, I never removed my arm from around her shoulders; I was careful to hold her close both for her mental security as well as a reminder to James that she was _mine. _Just in case.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Bella hurried to my side and I opened the door to my family. Before I could even greet them properly, my mother inhaled deeply. "It smells wonderful in here, Edward," she said.

"That's all Bella's doing tonight," I told her, hugging my girlfriend as if to say, _I told you that you didn't have to try to impress them, but I'm proud of you anyway. _"She wouldn't even let me help."

"Well, Bella, Esme's right; whatever you've cooked smells fantastic," my father told her.

"Thank you," Bella said quietly, blushing at their praise. The timer beeped just then, and Bella excused herself to take the pies out of the oven and the salad she'd made earlier from the refrigerator. When she had everything dished up, she invited all of us over to the table; we ate in silence for several moments, simply enjoying Bella's meal. It was even better than her spaghetti sauce. If she hadn't already found her way to my heart, she would have with her cooking. I'd never put much stock into the old saying 'the way to a man's heart is through his stomach' but then again, I'd never dated anyone who could cook as well as Bella.

"So, Bella, what's next for you?" my father asked, finally breaking the near silence.

She set her fork down on her plate and dabbed at her mouth with a napkin before answering him. Clearing her throat slightly, she said, "Well, I leave tomorrow to go back to Seattle. I have some loose ends to tie up there, namely giving my landlord my thirty days' notice and my boss my resignation. I also have to figure out what I'm going to do with all my stuff. And visit my parents." She frowned slightly. It seemed that every time we talked about this, the list of things she had to do in Washington grew. We were both getting frustrated with the way that seemed to happen. At the rate things were stacking up, she'd never get back here.

I picked up where she left off. "Once Bella's finalized everything she needs to, she'll be moving in here with me."

"Really?" My father seemed shocked at that. I knew that Bella and my mother had gotten quite close this week, so I couldn't imagine that she hadn't told my mom about our plans. _Our plans. _I was thrilled that we'd come to this decision; it had made sense to me that she'd stay here, but I didn't want to assume that she wouldn't want her own place once she actually moved out here. I'd been ecstatic when we'd come to this conclusion together. Apparently, though, my mother had not shared any of this with my father. Jasper didn't look surprised, either, because he knew what had happened between Bella and me at the beginning of the week, and he knew how I felt about her. Plus, I knew that Bella had been talking to Alice, and Alice had been talking to Jasper. From what I'd seen of Alice, there was no way she would've been able to keep that secret.

"Yes," Bella and I responded together. We cast sideways glances at each other, both smirking slightly.

I didn't like the look I read on my father's face, at least at first; it looked like he had had several emotions manifest nearly simultaneously, ranging from shock to disapproval. Finally he seemed to settle on acceptance. _Smart move, Dad,_ I thought smugly. He'd learned quickly over the course of the week not to try to change my mind about Bella. Between the dinner last Sunday and the phone call he'd initiated while I was at work a few days ago, I'd made my position clear. It looked like he finally got the message.

We finished eating and moved to the living room to talk. After an hour or so of mostly meaningless, yet friendly conversation, my parents finally rose and said that they needed to get going. Jasper quickly followed suit. "Thank you for coming," Bella said, reaching first for my father and embracing him in an awkward-looking hug. She turned to Jasper and hugged him as well, whispering something in his ear that I couldn't hear. Finally, she wrapped her arms around my mother, and I heard her say, "Thank you, Esme, for this week. I've had a wonderful time getting to know you. I'm so excited to be living here permanently."

"Well, I know you'll only be gone for a few weeks, dear, but I'll miss you. And I know my son will be anxiously awaiting your return as well," my mother replied, flashing a smile my direction. _Damn right, I will. _ "I already think of you as part of the family, so come back soon."

Bella blushed at my mother's words, and I felt that familiar swell in my chest; the feeling of pride that told me beyond the shadow of a doubt that I was making the right decision. Even my mother could tell that there was something special about my Bella and that we were right for each other.

x-x-x

**Bella**

The airport was a very lonely place. I didn't want to go back to Washington. Not even a little bit. I knew that I had to, but that didn't make the prospect any more appealing. Even with Edward sitting with me at the little café closest to my departure terminal, I was already missing him. Mentally, I was already gone, and I didn't like it. I tried to force myself back here, to be with Edward instead of wasting my last moments with him feeling sorry for myself for having to go back. I could tell that he was a little down about the prospect of today's events, too.

So we sat silently, holding hands across the tiny café table, just waiting for doomsday—also known as the moment my flight would start boarding.

Eventually, the cursed voice sounded and we had to go. Well, _I_ had to go.

We reluctantly stood, both unwilling to release our hold on the other's hand. I felt like I was losing part of myself, leaving Edward behind. I couldn't understand how I'd grown so close to him in so short a time, but it really was like Alice had said: I had _seemed_ happy before—even to myself—but now I really _was_ happy.

When we'd gotten as far as Edward was allowed to go without a ticket, I turned to face him, wrapping my arms around his waist and resting my head on his chest. "I'm going to miss you so much," I said.

"I'll miss you, too," he assured me.

"I don't want to leave you," I said, not for the first time.

"Well, I would've come with you if you'd have let me buy a ticket," he reminded me.

"Don't start that again. You know as well as I do that as great as it would have been to have you come, that would've been completely unnecessary, because I'll be back in just a few weeks. Besides, you can't take the time off from work right now." We'd been over this several times over the past few days. He was not interested in letting me—or as he said, _making_ me—wrap up my affairs on my own. Especially the confrontation I knew I had to have with Emmett and Rose. I needed to have that one for my own sanity, so I could get some answers and closure, though that was the one part of the next several weeks I was least looking forward to. The second hardest part was going to be telling my parents that I was moving halfway across the country from them.

"If you change your mind, I'm only a phone call away. And I've put my travel agent on speed dial." I wasn't sure whether he was joking or not with that last sentence, but I wouldn't put it past him.

Then we heard the ominous-sounding—to me, anyway—second boarding call.

"Have a safe trip, and call me when you land. And when you take that test next weekend," he said, still holding me securely in that intimate hug, "call me right away. I want to know either way. We're in this together. Remember that."

"I will," I promised, replying to all of his requests, also still not letting go. I couldn't. Not yet.

"I love you," he said before pulling away just enough to lean in and kiss me.

With his lips on mine, several scenes from the week filled my mind, but the one that stayed the longest was seeing him crashed out on the couch after having had to work extra late the other night, and the way I felt. I had been exhausted, tossing and turning in the bed without him there beside me. But when I saw him asleep on the sofa, I instantly relaxed. He was home. I'd covered him with a blanket, smoothed his unruly hair back from his face and kissed him gently before going back to bed. Knowing that he was there, even if he wasn't in the bed with me, had been enough to allow sleep to overtake me.

And that's when I realized it. I gazed up into his emerald-colored eyes, and said with all the emotion I had in me (which wasn't difficult considering the timing of my epiphany), "I love you, too." And I meant it.

He blinked a few times, just staring at me. "What did you say?" he finally choked out.

"I said, I love you, too," I repeated, suddenly grinning from ear to ear. "I love you," I repeated. I liked the sound of that. I loved him. I loved Edward.

He pulled me up into his arms, lifting my feet from the ground momentarily. "Man, I'm going to miss you so much," he said, kissing me again. "Are you sure you don't want me to come with you? Because I'll buy a ticket right now." I knew he meant it, too. I didn't doubt for one second that he would drop the thousand-plus dollars for a last minute ticket. I couldn't let him, though.

"Oh, I _want_ you to come, but I can't _let_ you. You understand the difference, right?" Before he had the chance to answer, the final boarding call sounded over the PA system. "I've got to go," I said, the joy of my declaration nearly evaporating as my imminent departure was forced upon us. I made myself pull away from him, extending my arm to keep touching him as long as possible. As soon as our touch broke, a single tear escaped from each of my eyes.

"Hey, don't do that, or I might start," he said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes as I joined the line of other SeaTac-bound passengers. "You'll be back soon, and everything will be perfect. You'll see."

"I know," I said as the line scooted forward, pushing me further away from Edward. "I'll call you when I land, and I'll be back before we know it," I told him. He blew me a kiss, and I blew one right back at him. Then it was my turn to show my boarding pass and get on the airplane.

x-x-x

About halfway through the flight, I was starting to get bored. They'd already served lunch, and I wasn't in the mood for any of the movies they were offering on this flight. So I pulled my purse from underneath my seat, looking for the crossword puzzle book and pen that I'd put in there yesterday in preparation for today's flight. I found the book easily enough, but the pen was proving to be a little more difficult. I started emptying the contents out in search of that stupid pen. Where was it? When I got to the little yellow compact that held my birth control pills, I immediately went into a panic, remembering my discovery from a few days before.

_The thoughts ran through my mind, almost mocking me for my stupidity. _How did I miss _an entire week's worth_ of them? That's so many! I'm always so meticulous, but there they are, Wednesday through Wednesday._ I touched each blister, as if hoping that my fingers would somehow come to a different conclusion than my eyes. I guess with all the stress of last week, I just didn't think about it. Not that that's a valid excuse, it's not. _

_And then I slept with Edward. Twice. Completely unprotected. And now I was in trouble. Maybe. Probably. Worse, I'd potentially put him in trouble._

_The thoughts raced through my mind as I sat on Edward's couch. I was glad that we'd agreed not to have sex again, for now, anyway. Because, even if I started them again today, I wouldn't be protected for two weeks._

_My heart was racing at the realization of what I'd done. My hands started to shake, and I wondered whether or not I should tell Edward. I debated for a long time. Rational Bella was saying that it was too soon to know anything, so why worry him? Irrational Bella was freaking out, though, and she wanted the support system. I wasn't sure how long I sat there, just shaking and breathing hard and listening to nothing but my own heart pounding in my chest until I heard his keys in the door. It was time to decide. I didn't get up from the couch to meet him at the door this time like I had previously in the week. I was too worried tonight. I still hadn't decided whether or not to tell him. _

_The door opened and shut gently, quietly. I continued to sit there, silent except for my pounding heart. Edward must have noticed that something was wrong with me, because he came over and sat next to me. I didn't acknowledge his presence._

"_Bella?" he asked. _

_I continued to sit there, not ignoring him, but unable to respond. _

"_Hey, what's wrong?"_

_I sat silently still, now beginning to rock back and forth._

"_You're freaking me out, Bella. Talk to me, please," he begged._

_I pulled myself out of my trance long enough to respond, even though I still didn't trust my voice. My indecision had made the decision for me. I had to tell him now. I grabbed the compact out of my purse and handed it to him._

_He furrowed his brow in confusion before opening it. I knew that once he opened it, he wouldn't be confused any more. I was right. He examined its contents and sighed in comprehension almost instantly. Of course he would understand the ramifications of what I'd done, the predicament I'd put us in, because he was a doctor. Almost anyone would understand, but especially a doctor. _

_And then, he switched gears, away from 'boyfriend' and into 'doctor,' asking the clinical question. "Bella, when was your last period?" I looked at him, my eyes watery. I blinked once and the tears fell down my cheeks. He scooted over next to me, wrapped his arms around me in a hug, and whispered in my ear. "I'm not mad. I just need to know." Now he was some combination of the two, my boyfriend the doctor._

_With my head resting on his chest, I felt just a tiny bit calmer. I nodded and sighed, then whispered back, "Two and half weeks ago. Two weeks before the wedding was supposed to have been." We both knew what that meant. Both times that we'd been together were my most fertile days of the month. "I'm sorry," I whispered, not knowing what else to say._

_He was quiet for several minutes, and I wondered what he was thinking. Finally, he said the very thing Rational Bella had been trying to convince me of for the past hour. "There's no reason to worry now. For one thing, it's too early to know, anyway. And besides that, if it's happened, it's happened. There's nothing we can do to change it now. We'll figure it out and work through it together, making the decision that's best for all of us." I noticed the way he said 'all of us' rather than 'both of us,' as if he was assuming that I _was_ pregnant. I didn't know how he was so calm about this when I was so freaked out, but I just let him keep his arms around me, calming me with his soothing words while he rubbed my back._

_My tears slowly subsided, and we just sat there, me silently, him continuing to whisper comforting words in my ear, for a long time, until both of our stomachs started grumbling. Edward managed to convince me that we should go out for dinner, and when we came back to the apartment after, we clung to each other for the rest of the night._

I found my pen and started in on a crossword puzzle to get my mind off of things. I'd just completed the third one when the pilot announced our descent into SeaTac.

x-x-x

I hurried off of the plane and out the front doors of the airport as quickly as possible after landing, calling Alice as I walked. I spotted her before the call had even connected; she was waiting right out front in her canary-yellow Porsche. I wasn't entirely sure how she'd afforded it on her salary, but I knew better than to ask. When Alice wanted something, she got it, without thinking through the possible consequences of her decisions. I tossed my purse on the floor of her car as I got in, not even bothering to hide my agitated state—while the puzzles had passed the time, they had done very little to actually take my mind off of the flashback I'd had. Alice eyed me suspiciously, obviously wondering about my demeanor, but as she merged into traffic, all she said was, "No luggage?"

"I've got clothes at the apartment, so there was no reason to bring everything back here only to take it back in a few weeks," I explained tersely.

"Okay, there's something seriously wrong with you," Alice said, addressing my tone instead of my words as she drove down the ramp that would deposit us onto the interstate. "Spill."

"I don't want to talk about it right now, Alice," I muttered.

"I don't care. You'll feel better when you get it out. So start talking." She glared at me briefly before turning her eyes back to the road.

Sighing, I just decided to hit her full in the face with the discovery I'd made on Wednesday night. "I missed some Pills. A lot of them, actually."

"What?" she exclaimed. "I hope you're talking about ibuprofen, Bella," she said, casting a sideways glance at me.

"Nope. I'm talking about the capital-p Pill."

"How could you have been so irresponsible?" she chastised me.

"I have no idea. Believe me, I've been asking myself that same question for three and a half days."

"Did you and Edward…you know?" she asked.

"Yeah. Twice."

"Before or after?"

"During the missed days, before I noticed."

"Did he…?" she trailed off.

I knew her well enough to know the rest of her question without her needing to ask. "No," I answered honestly. "I've been so meticulous about taking the Pills for so many months that I didn't think about it. I was so used to being protected that it didn't even cross my mind to have him wear a condom. Emmett never wore them because I was on the Pill, so it just never occurred to me."

"So, what are you going to do?"

"Well, there's nothing _to_ do now. It's too early to tell anything, anyway. My period's not due till next weekend, so until then, there's no point in worrying. Maybe all the worrying I've done so far will turn out not to have been necessary." I could always hope, anyway.

"Hm," she hummed, and then was silent for several moments.

"I've got to call Edward, I promised him I would when I landed. Do you mind if I do it now?" I needed to hear his voice now; asking Alice if she minded was merely a formality. I probably would have called him regardless of what she said.

Fortunately, it didn't matter. She responded, "No, go ahead."

I dialed and he picked up on the first ring.

"Hey," he greeted me. "You made it back to your apartment all safe and sound?"

"Well, I'm in Alice's car safe and sound. I'll be to the apartment soon, though."

"That's great. It's so good to hear your voice, Bella. Thanks for calling. I won't keep you from Alice any longer, though, because I know you missed her; you guys must have a lot of things to talk about."

"Yeah," I murmured. "Alright. I'll talk to you later."

"Hey, Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"Everything will be okay, you know. I love you."

I smiled and said, "I love you, too." Tears of joy filled my eyes at those words, but I blinked them back. It wouldn't do to be overly emotional around Alice. Between unnecessary tears and the confession I'd just made to her, she'd jump to conclusions for sure.

"Bye," he whispered.

"Bye."

No sooner had I disconnected the call than Alice was talking again, apparently done thinking. "What did you just say to him?"

"Um, bye?" I responded, knowing what she was getting at, but feeling a bit better now that I'd talked to him—good enough to tease Alice a little. I still couldn't understand how he was so calm, but I was glad he was. He was keeping me grounded.

"No, before that," she said.

"I told him that I love him." Even though I was saying those words to Alice this time instead of Edward, they still felt amazing coming out. I was filled with joy every time I said them aloud.

"How long have you known?" she asked.

I looked at my watch. "About four and a half hours," I told her, remembering that the first time I'd said it was literally about three minutes before I'd boarded the airplane. Then there had been the flight, which was four hours and fifteen minutes, and the time I'd spent with Alice thus far. I figured four and half hours was a pretty good estimate.

"You just told him that you loved him for the first time, and he was crazy enough to let you get on an airplane and travel two thousand miles away?"

"He wanted to come, but I couldn't let him, Alice. I have to work through a few things on my own first, and besides, he's got to work," I told her, giving her the same excuses I'd been giving Edward all week.

"You'd better work through your stuff _fast_, Bella, and get back to him."

x-x-x

**Edward**

Driving home from the airport, my phone buzzed. I glanced down at the caller ID and ignored Jasper's call; I just couldn't avoid the situation anymore, so I avoided my brother instead. I needed to be alone today. I needed time to think, and since Bella was gone for awhile, I decided I was not going to put it off any longer. Bella had things she needed to work through on her own, and knowing what I knew now, I needed time of my own to process as well. While I would miss her desperately while she was gone, I was secretly glad that she hadn't let me come with her today. It had been absolutely exhausting feigning calmness for the past three days. I really needed some time to myself to freak out a little.

I pulled my Vanquish into the spot next to the Volvo and sat there for several minutes, not ready to get out yet. Rubbing my hands over my face roughly, I just couldn't fight it any longer as my own stupidity flooded my consciousness. I thought, _how could you have been so irresponsible? Why didn't you check with her that she was protected before you took your damn pants off?_ I was so angry with myself for my complete lack of forethought.

I knew that within just a few hours, Bella would be calling me, and that I'd better be able to at least fake composure when she did. I climbed out of the car and walked into the building, barely conscious of Felix's greeting as I breezed past him to the elevator. I entered my apartment and sat heavily on the couch, thinking through all of the possibilities I could.

If she was pregnant, there were only three possibilities: adoption, abortion, or keeping it. The second option made my stomach churn, and I sincerely hoped that Bella wouldn't exercise that particular freedom. The first was a decent choice, but it kind of made my heart clench. If we had done this, made a new life together, I wanted to be around to see the child grow, which, in my mind, left only the third option as a viable choice. Although, if I was being perfectly honest, I'd much prefer a fourth option above all else: that she wasn't pregnant at all. Not that I didn't want children someday, I'd just prefer that they be planned, when Bella and I were ready. Both of us.

When my phone buzzed again four hours later, I looked at the caller ID and saw that this time it was Bella. I smiled, glad that I didn't have to ignore Jasper again. He'd been calling every hour all morning, and I'd ignored all of his calls; I knew I'd have to talk to him eventually, but I just didn't want to yet. I took a deep breath and hit the 'answer' button to take Bella's call. She sounded a little upset—or perhaps just distracted—all through the conversation. I did my best to keep calm, not talking about the 'situation' except for saying to her at the last minute, "Everything will be alright. I love you."

"I love you, too," she said, and in that minute, I believed my own words for the first time since I'd first spoken them three days earlier. We would be okay, regardless of what happened.

**Thanks again, guys :). I look forward to hearing what your thoughts.**


	16. Changes

**A/N: Just the normal stuff: **

**I don't own **_**Twilight**_**. **

**Special thanks to my friends, Gerri (super beta extraordinaire) and Rory (the best pre-reader a girl could hope for), for making my story look like a super hero with their beautiful red and blue correction marks :). **

**Extra special thanks to Rory this week for her constant encouragement when I needed it the most. Thank you isn't really enough, but it's all I have…if we didn't live three time zones away and in different countries, I'd totally take you out for coffee!**

**And of course, thanks to you, for reading. **

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

**Bella**

I stopped at the pharmacy on my way to work Monday morning; I needed a pregnancy test. I hadn't been able to think about anything besides the possibility of being pregnant all night Sunday—Alice had been annoyed when I couldn't answer any of the questions she was asking me while she was at my apartment—and I wasn't sure I'd survive the stress of waiting another five days to see if my period started.

I stood in the aisle for what felt like hours, reading all of the boxes carefully, looking primarily for the words 'accuracy' and 'early detection.' _Holy crow, there's a lot of them!_ I finally found one that claimed it could give a correct reading six days before a missed period. It was the most expensive one on the shelf, but I didn't care. If it gave me an answer today so that I wouldn't have to wait until Saturday, it was worth the money. I paid for the test and tucked it into my purse for later. As much as I wanted to just take it into the bathroom of the drugstore, examining all of the boxes had put me a few minutes behind schedule. I had to hurry to get to work on time now.

I climbed out of my truck in the ACU parking lot and took a deep breath. I was not looking forward to entering the office that I'd shared with Emmett for the past year. I knew that I'd have to face him eventually, though, so better to just get it over with. I forced my shoulders back, held my head up high and walked briskly into the building and directly to our office. Before I entered, I prepared myself to do battle with Emmett, inhaling deeply and exhaling, but when I glanced over to his desk, I had to do a double take.

He wasn't there.

But that wasn't what made me look again. _Someone_ was there. Just not Emmett. I didn't recognize the guy sitting behind Emmett's desk.

"Who are you?" I asked bluntly. It was probably rude of me, but I didn't particularly care. I just wanted to know who the guy in my office was.

"Oh, er, hi. I'm Eric Yorkie," he said, awkwardly rising from his chair and leaning across his desk, reaching his hand out to shake mine. I glared at it for a few seconds, and then decided there was no reason for this type of behavior. Frankly, I should be worshiping this Eric guy; he was saving me from Emmett, at least for now.

Taking his hand, I shook it once and said, "Bella Swan. This is my office."

"Oh. Well, it's my office, too. I was told that I'd be sharing, but they didn't say who with."

"Really?"

"Er, yeah. Is that a problem?"

"Hm? Oh, no, of course not. It's just that that desk," I pointed to the one Eric was standing behind, "belonged to someone else before I left for vacation. I was kind of expecting him to be here."

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"No, I'm sorry. You have nothing to apologize for. I've been incredibly rude to you since I walked through the door. Actually, I'm glad you're here. Right before I left on my trip, I kind of had a problem with the guy who was in here." _Understatement of the century, Bella._

"Oh."

"Sorry again. You probably didn't really need to know that." I'd never had a problem with over sharing like I was right now. I didn't know what was going on with me, but I hoped it wasn't a new personality trait.

"It's okay, Miss—," he started.

I cut him off. "No 'Miss.' Just Bella."

"Bella," Eric repeated. I smiled warmly at him. He seemed nice.

I sat down at my desk, and Eric resumed his seat behind Emmett's old desk. "So, Eric, when did you start?"

"Oh, uh, last Monday," he stuttered.

"And where did you go to law school?"

"Gonzaga, over in Spokane."

"Okay, cool. Well, I'll let you get back to…studying, I presume?"

"Yeah. I've got the Bar Exam coming up in a couple of weeks."

"Yes, I remember it well," I laughed. "Good luck."

"Thanks."

We lapsed into a comfortable silence after that. I started my day by opening my laptop and typing out a letter of resignation to Mr. Ateara. When I'd finished, I sent it via inter-office email, the preferred method of communication within the walls of ACU. Just minutes later, the phone on my desk was ringing.

_Sheesh, _I thought_. I've been back for ten minutes, and my stupid phone's already ringing. _"Bella Swan," I answered, trying not to let my exasperation leak into my voice.

"Miss Swan, this is Angela from Mr. Ateara's office. He's asked me to schedule you a meeting to see him this morning. Are you available?"

"Of course," I told her. "Anytime today will be fine." _Like it's really an option._

"Thank you. I'll let him know you'll be up in half an hour, then."

I checked my watch, then my schedule for the day. "Half an hour," I agreed.

Promptly twenty-five minutes later, I was stepping up in front of Angela's desk checking in for my meeting with the big boss. Fifteen minutes after that, I was summoned to his office.

I walked through the door and was surprised to see not only Mr. Ateara, who had been the partner who hired me and therefore the main guy I worked with—besides Emmett, that is—in this job, but also one of the older lawyers I'd worked with in last year's medical malpractice case, Jacob Black. I had expected to have some sort of conversation regarding my resignation, but this was a little weird; why was Jacob Black here?

"Ah, Miss Swan, thank you for joining us," said Mr. Ateara, extending his hand. I took his hand and shook it, but I wasn't sure how to respond to his greeting, so I just nodded politely at him. "Please, have a seat," he said, gesturing to the one vacant chair in the room. I sat. "I received your email this morning," he continued. "You're resigning?"

"Yes, sir. I've had the opportunity to move to the Chicago area, and I've decided to take it." I'd written that in the letter; he knew already why I was quitting, and I belatedly realized that probably had something to do with why Black was in here.

"Indeed?" He seemed almost pleased by my confirmation of what I'd already written.

"Yes, sir," I repeated.

"Have you found a job in Chicago yet?" Mr. Black asked.

I turned to face him. "No, I haven't," I responded honestly. "I've only spent one week there, last week in fact, for my vacation. The decision to move came about quite suddenly, and I haven't had time to make any preparations yet."

The two of them exchanged a look, and it worried me. Were they going to try to talk me out of moving? That would be kind of weird, because I was still pretty new. I'd done pretty well with my caseload, but still, I was only beginning my second year. Surely I wasn't that valuable of an asset.

Jacob Black spoke next. "We have an office in Wheaton, Miss Swan, and if you're planning on moving to Chicago anyway, we'd like you to consider transferring instead of quitting. It's about an hour's drive each way from Chicago, but you wouldn't have to job hunt this way."

My jaw dropped. This would be perfect. I loved working for Ateara, Call, and Uley, and hadn't been thrilled with the idea of quitting; it had just been a necessity. I realized that I still hadn't closed my mouth, so I hastily did that and said, "I'd be honored to take a position in the Wheaton office."

"Fantastic," Mr. Ateara enthused. "Now, you are probably wondering why I asked Mr. Black to attend our meeting here today." I nodded slightly, acknowledging the truth in his statement. "Jake here will be joining you, as he has recently been appointed as one of the senior partners working in the Wheaton division, and is also preparing to relocate to Illinois. Incidentally, when are you planning to move?"

"I'm not sure exactly; four to six weeks at the outside, possibly sooner," I told him. _Hopefully sooner, _I added silently. "There are a few things here I need to do before I can leave."

"The only catch is that you'd need to take the Illinois bar in order to practice there," Mr. Black explained. I felt my face fall. I'd just taken the bar exam a year ago; now I'd have to take it again to keep my job? He chuckled lightly. "Don't worry about it. I'll have to take it there, too. And if I recall correctly, you did fabulously on the Washington exam. You should have no problem with the Illinois test."

I took a deep breath and nodded. I was sure he was right. I _had_ done well on the Washington exam; I could manage taking it again in a new state. "Thank you for this opportunity," I told them.

"It's our pleasure, Miss Swan," Mr. Black expressed as he smiled appreciatively at me.

"I wouldn't have hired you last year if I didn't want you to work for me," Mr. Ateara said.

I flushed. "Thank you, sir," I said again. I couldn't think of anything else to say. This was such an incredible opportunity; frankly I was still a little stunned at my luck. Finding a new job in an unfamiliar city wouldn't have been easy—or fun. I truly was glad I wouldn't have to do it.

"When you have final plans, let us know," Mr. Ateara told me, "and we'll get you settled in the new office as soon as possible."

"Okay." I wanted to thank him again, but it seemed like that might have been overkill. The last two sentences out of my mouth had been 'thank you.'

"Congratulations," the two of them said nearly simultaneously.

I nodded at them, again self-conscious about thanking anyone right now. It seemed that the conversation was over, and a curt nod from Quil Ateara confirmed that line of thinking. I rose from my chair and left the room.

When I got back to my office, I found Emmett's—no, _Eric's—_desk vacant. He must have gone to the law library for something. I pulled out my cell phone and sent Edward a text message.

_Are you available to talk?_

I was so excited about telling him the news that I knew I wouldn't get any work done until I got it all out. Before I had time to wonder how quickly the reply would come, my phone was vibrating with an incoming call. The caller ID read _Edward._ "Guess what?" I answered.

"Hello to you, too," he replied, laughing.

"Hi. Guess what?" I repeated.

"Mm, you love me?"

I giggled, imagining him leaning back in his chair in his office at the clinic, running one hand absentmindedly through his hair. "I do, but that's not the reason I wanted to talk; not the only reason, anyway."

"Do tell."

"Okay, so I got to work this morning, and there was a new guy in my office. No Emmett." This wasn't the point of my call, but it was pretty good news, so I shared it anyway.

"Interesting," he mused.

"Yeah, but that's not all." I rushed on before he could respond. "I sent my resignation letter to my boss, and he called me into his office and told me that I didn't have to resign." I let that hang for a moment, wondering how he would react.

"How is that possible? You told him that you were moving, right?"

"Yes. And get this. They have an office in Wheaton, and he offered me a position there. I guess it's an hour each way, but I'd rather make that commute than try to find a new job."

"That's fantastic, Bella!"

"I know, right? One less thing to worry about." My voice got quieter toward the end of that sentence, and I remembered the one thing that he and I _did_ have to worry about together. I felt the need to mention it now. I'm not sure why, but I just wanted to let him know. "So, I bought an early detection test this morning at the pharmacy on my way to work."

"Oh? And?"

"I haven't taken it yet. Stopping at the pharmacy put me behind schedule and I had to hurry to make it on time after that. I just wanted to let you know that I bought it."

"How early can it detect the hCG?"

"The what?"

"Human chorionic gonadotropin. The pregnancy hormone," he explained, laughing quietly.

"Well, we're not all doctors," I grumbled at him.

"That's true. I apologize for laughing at you. So, how early?"

"It said six days before my period."

The line was silent; I wondered for a minute if the call had dropped when I heard him breathe deeply. "Okay, I'll tell you what," he said. "Don't take it until you get home tonight."

"What? The whole reason I bought that one was so that I wouldn't have to wait," I protested.

"Would you let me finish?" he asked patiently.

"I'm sorry. Go ahead."

"Call me when you get home, and we can do it together."

"Oh." That sounded…nice, actually. I was glad he wanted to be such a big part of my life, especially this part. "Okay, I'll wait until I get home tonight and we can do it together. Over the phone."

"I look forward to it."

"Me, too." I was lying; I didn't know whether he was being truthful or not, but this was _not_ a test I was excited to take. I'd rather take the bar exam in all fifty states than pee on that damned stick. While I wasn't excited about it, I did want to know the results. So maybe I was looking forward to it on some level. I didn't know.

"I've got to go, baby," he said gently.

"Yeah, okay. I miss you," I said.

"I miss you, too. I'll talk to you tonight, okay?"

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you, too, Bella. Bye."

"Bye." My arms ached; I wanted to hug him so badly. A silent tear escaped from my left eye, and I hastily wiped it away. _Be tough, Bella. It's just a few weeks. You'll survive._

x-x-x

Nothing of substance happened until I was walking through the hallway on my way back to my office after my lunch break. I'd taken work to catch up on while I ate, and was still examining the papers as I walked back through the corridor, not paying attention along the way. I should have known better. Not paying attention is never a good idea, especially for me, as suddenly I was forced to come to a stop. Not by choice, but because something stopped me. Or rather, some_one_ stopped me. And it was a body I recognized well. I didn't have to look at his face to know who it was. I paused and took a deep breath before lifting my eyes to meet Emmett's. "Hi," I muttered.

"Hi," he answered sheepishly. "How are you doing, Bella?"

"What?" I'd heard his words, but I didn't really understand them. Why would he care how I was doing?

"How are you?" he repeated, his expression pained.

"I'm okay," I responded nervously.

He sighed. "Look, Bella, I'm glad I bumped into you. Well, that you bumped into me," he teased, obviously referring to my lack of coordination. I could feel the blush creep up my neck and face as I fought the overwhelming desire to flee. He continued quickly, sensing my uneasiness. "Listen, what I mean to say is, can we talk? I owe you an explanation at the very least. Let me buy you a drink, so I can explain what happened. I don't expect you to forgive me or anything like that, but I think if everything was out in the open, it might help you to understand. Please?"

I was shocked. I'd expected to have to force him to talk to me, but now he was initiating things. I couldn't form the words in my head to speak, so instead I just nodded. A look of relief flooded his face. "Tonight?" he asked.

I almost nodded again, but then I remembered my phone appointment with Edward. Clearing my throat, I managed to croak out, "I can't tonight. I have plans. Soon, though, I promise. I'll let you know."

A puzzled look flashed across his face, but it was gone before I had a chance to process it. "Later, then," he concurred. Then, he suddenly stepped toward me and swept me up in a big bear hug, just like he used to when we were together. Because he had lifted my feet from the ground, there was very little I could do as far as getting away. So, I placed my hands on his broad shoulders, not really wanting the intimacy of a hug, but not wanting to be rude, either. While I was still in his arms, he whispered into my ear, "I really did love you, Bella. I'm sorry things went down the way they did."

He set me back down on my feet, and I said very stiffly, "I'll email you later with my availability."

"I'll make sure I'm available when you are," he promised, his voice laced with what sounded like a variety of emotions, primarily concern and sorrow. "Anytime, anyplace, just let me know."

I nodded again, unsure of how to react to his obvious discomfort. So I didn't; I just turned away from him and walked briskly back to my office. I shut the door tightly behind me before taking my post behind my desk.

I knew I couldn't bother Edward at work again, so I texted Alice instead. _Are you available to talk?_ It was the same message I'd sent to Edward earlier, but it fit, so I used it.

A moment later, I got a reply. _I will be in five minutes. I'll call you then._

I lifted the screen on my laptop, with the intentions of getting some work done while I waited for Alice's call. I opened a blank word processing document and stared at the screen, watching the tiny clock in the corner pass the minutes instead of actually getting anything done. I drummed my fingers on my desk, glad that Eric was still studying in the law library instead of at his desk.

Finally, after seven minutes, my phone vibrated and Alice's name was lighting up the tiny screen. "Alice," I answered.

"Hey, sweetie, what's going on?"

I wanted to cry, and I knew Alice would be okay with it, but I reminded myself that I was at work, so I held it together. "Alice, he wants to meet with me. Just to explain things. I know I should, but I really, really don't want to."

"Who wants to meet with you?"

"Emmett."

"Oh."

"He sounded so sincere, too. I just don't know, I think I should, but I don't know if I can."

"You're right. You _should_ meet with him. And of course you can, I'm just not sure you should meet with him alone. Someone should go with you. And you should tell him to bring Rose. She owes you as much explanation as he does. And they both owe you apologies."

"Okay," I said tentatively. This potential meeting was getting more and more uncomfortable, the more I thought about it and it wasn't even a sure thing yet.

"Listen, Bella, you don't have to forgive them, either one of them, but you need to allowing them to explain is the decent thing to do." _Funny, that's exactly what he said_. "And you need to talk to them, too."

"I'm not sure how much more there is to explain. He ditched me, chose her, end of story."

"I know, sweetie, but you were so emotional that night that I think it would do you well to hear him out from a rational place. Without the anger."

"I already told him what I thought about what they'd done," I muttered. "On our farce of a wedding day."

"Yeah, you did, but it was the day after, and you were speaking from anger, not from a rational place."

"I'm _still_ angry," I told her.

"I know you are. But I think hearing him out talking to him will help you with that. You don't want to spend your entire life being angry with him."

I grumbled, "No, I don't want to spend my entire life being angry, but I do have every right to be mad a little longer." I could be very stubborn when I wanted to be, and in this instance, I definitely wanted to.

"Well, compromise then. Be angry for a few more days, and then meet with him. You can do it. Okay?"

"When did you become Emmett's personal cheerleader?" I snapped.

"Don't be upset with me, Bella. I want what's best for you. And I really think that you need to have this conversation so that you can put this whole thing behind you." I started to say something, but she interrupted me. "I know you think you've already done that by moving on with Edward, but honestly Bella, if you want a healthy relationship, you need to make sure that you're over this one."

I sighed. I didn't want to admit it, but she was saying the exact words I had been thinking back in Chicago; the same words I'd said to Edward, so I knew she was right. I didn't want to let anything, especially unresolved issues with Emmett, keep me from having a good relationship with Edward. "Thanks, Alice. I needed that."

"No problem. Keep me posted, okay? And if you want me to go with you just say the word."

"I will," I promised. "Bye."

I was so distracted after that, I couldn't focus on anything else for the rest of the day. About two hours after lunch, I realized that I was essentially worthless as an employee today and cut out early. It was three o'clock on the west coast, which meant with the time difference, Edward still had at least one more hour of work. So, I had a couple of hours to kill. I turned the ringer back up on my phone and grabbed the letter to my landlord I'd typed and printed at the office, letting him know that I was going to be moving. I'd never been so glad that I was on a month-to-month contract rather than a lease. I also Googled someplace to buy some boxes; I had a lot of packing to do. I stopped at the place on my way home and picked up about a dozen of the boxes, then went to the store for some box tape and a Sharpie. Armed with my packing supplies, I dropped the envelope containing the letter along with my next—and final— month's rent into the mail slot of the super's apartment and went into the apartment. It was weird that I already didn't consider this place home anymore. It had been my home for the past four years, and I was both sad and happy knowing that I wouldn't be living here anymore.

Standing in the center of the living room, I was at a loss as to where to start. It wasn't like I was moving into someplace empty. Edward already had most of the household things we'd need. Short of my clothes, I couldn't really think of what I'd need to actually take with me. I decided that the living room wasn't really a good place to start; it held almost exclusively things that I _wouldn't_ take, primarily furniture. I moved instead to the kitchen, opening every single cupboard. I folded two of the boxes into shape and taped the bottoms of both securely with the clear tape. On one, I wrote, _Kitchen: Keep _and on the other, _Kitchen: Donate._ I placed every single thing from the room into one of those two boxes, only putting into the 'keep' box things I didn't recall having seen at Edward's during my stay there. The 'donate' box filled quickly, and I had to start a second one.

When the job was done, I was positively exhausted. This was why I hadn't bothered getting a nicer place when I'd gotten the pay jump last year. I hated moving. Well, actually, I hated packing. The actual moving was a pain, sure, but getting ready was the worst. Unpacking in the new place was actually kind of fun, almost like Christmas with every new box opened. I poured myself a glass of water from the filtered pitcher in the fridge and drank it quickly. Then I refilled the glass and went to sit on the couch. Setting the water glass on the end table, I leaned back and closed my eyes. _Just for a minute. _

The next thing I knew, my phone was ringing. I blinked my eyes open, surprised that I'd fallen asleep. I clambered to my feet and stumbled around the room, searching for the sound. I caught a glimpse of the clock on the stove in my nearly blind search, and was shocked to see that it was seven. I finally found my phone, but not in time to answer it. The missed call was from Edward. _Of course. _If it was seven here, that meant that it was nine there; he was probably wondering what had happened to me. I hastily hit the redial button and he answered on the first ring.

"Good evening," he greeted.

"Hi," I responded, my voice still groggy with sleep.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I was just packing and I sat down for a minute and I guess I fell asleep."

"That explains why you haven't called yet. I was wondering. You seemed so impatient this morning that I expected you to call by 6:01."

"Sorry."

"It's perfectly alright. So, how was the rest of your day?"

I thought for a moment, trying to remember what had happened since I'd talked to him. Then I remembered. "Ugh. I bumped into Emmett. Literally," I grumbled at the memory.

"Oh. He didn't bug you about anything, did he?" I could hear his tone bristle at the mention of Emmett.

"No," I breathed. "In fact, quite the opposite. He seemed truly remorseful about how things went down and offered to buy me a drink sometime so he could explain."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? Going out with him?"

"No. But I know that it's something I should do."

Edward took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Are you going to have someone there with you? Like a support person or something?"

"I don't know. I guess I could take Alice, she offered to come." I shrugged, even though he couldn't see me.

"I think that would be a good idea," he said quietly. "Taking Alice."

"Okay," I agreed.

"Remember that I'll support you regardless of what decision you make. Even if you decide to go alone; though I hope you don't. And my travel agent is still on speed dial," he reminded me again. I could almost hear the longing in his voice. He wanted to be here. _He doesn't care about having to fly all the way to Seattle or about having to take more time off, _my subconscious told me_. He cares about being with _you_._

"Thank you," I said, and I could hear the same longing in my own voice. I wanted to be with him, too. More than anything. I sighed and then I remembered the main reason why he had called. "Edward, I just remembered what we were supposed to be doing tonight and well, considering I just woke up, I've really gotta pee." I blushed; the fact that this wasn't a video phone did nothing to stop my embarrassment at those words. Normally I had a better 'brain to mouth' filter than that. "Sorry, I didn't mean to just blurt that out like that, but seeing as I really do have to go, shall we use the opportunity to take that test?" I asked him. My phraseology was not lost on me. It really was something that we were in together, no matter how many miles were between us and regardless of what the test said. I felt so much better knowing that he was there for me.

He laughed at my assessment of my body's needs. He was quickly sobered at the realization of what was to come, though. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah. I just want to know," I said honestly.

"Okay. Let's do it," he replied.

I fetched my purse and rifled through it until I found the long, slender box I'd put in there at the drugstore this morning. I opened the box as I walked to the bathroom. Once I was in there, I was suddenly a little self-conscious. I didn't want him to hear me peeing through the phone. "Okay, hang on. I'm going to set the phone right outside while I actually…take it. I'll be right back for the waiting and then we'll get the results together. It says that it takes three minutes for it to finish."

"I think that's pretty typical. The three minutes, I mean," he told me.

"Take a lot of pregnancy tests?" I laughed, teasing him.

"Med school," he said by way of explanation, also laughing.

"Of course. Okay, I'm setting the phone down now. I'll be right back." I placed the phone on the floor right outside my bathroom and went inside, shutting the door behind me. I pulled the stick out of the box, replacing the cap over the absorption tip when I'd finished. I set it on the counter and hurriedly washed my hands. Then I went out and picked up my phone. "You still there?"

"Where am I gonna go?" he asked in response.

I smiled to myself and walked, holding the phone but not talking, into my freshly packed kitchen and set the timer on the stove for three minutes. I couldn't think of anything to say, so I just hopped up onto the counter and watched the seconds tick away. Edward didn't speak, either.

After what felt like an eternity, the timer beeped. "It's time," I whispered.

"Okay," he replied, sounding almost as nervous as I felt.

I walked painfully slowly back down the short corridor to my bathroom, and cautiously entered. My bathroom suddenly felt like a lions' den full of angry, famished lions ready to pounce on me the moment I entered. Of course, there were no lions, only that innocent little white stick sitting on the counter. I picked it up and tipped it slightly to look at the two little windows. The one on the left, the control window, had a bold pink line etched in it, indicating that the test had worked. The one on the right also had a pink line, albeit a much paler one. "Two lines," I whispered, silent tears falling down my face. "It's positive."

I heard his sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line. "You're sure?" he whispered.

"Hang up for a second; I'll call you right back." I had no idea how my voice was so calm with the tears streaming down my face, but somehow it was. I took a deep breath in an attempt to slow the waterfall my face was becoming. I quickly pushed the little red 'end' button, activated the camera feature on my phone, snapped a picture and sent it to him. I waited a couple of minutes to make sure that he'd gotten the picture, then called him back.

"You're right," came the answer through the phone.

"Are you mad?" I couldn't help asking.

"What? Of course not," he assured me. "I mean, if I'm being honest, I'm not thrilled with the timing, but I'm definitely not mad."

"The timing's the only thing you're upset about?" I inquired.

"Yes, the timing's the only thing," he assured me. "I can totally imagine having children with you, Bella, I just thought it would happen a little later, that's all. I mean, we've only just begun our relationship; I would have liked to have had some time with just the two of us, but this will be a new experience for both of us, and I'm glad I get to have it with you." Again, like in the office this morning, my arms ached to hold him, wanting nothing else but to feel his body next to mine, to run my hands through his hair and feel him breathing softly in mine.

Because I couldn't have that, though, I settled for what I did have: words. "I love you so much," I told him. "I'm sorry it took me so long to realize that."

"Don't be ridiculous. You were showing me your love all week long. You didn't have to say the words for me to know that you loved me. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you're comfortable with the words now, but waiting on saying them until you were certain of how you felt is an absurd thing for you to apologize for. So don't. I'm just so happy that you do, because I love you too, you know."

Feeling mercurial, I switched gears again, back to the situation at hand. Because he was a doctor, I had several questions for him, the first being when I should see a doctor. "I mean, I haven't really seen a doctor since I moved out of my parents' house. I wouldn't know where to begin searching for one."

"Well it is still really early, so it's not urgent that you see a doctor yet. You can wait until you get here, and I can help you find someone you're comfortable with."

"Really? I don't need to see anyone and start, like vitamins or something?"

"You want to start vitamins?" he asked instead of answering my question.

"Well, aren't I supposed to take something to help the baby?"

"Yes," he said, his voice thick with emotion.

"What's wrong?" I asked him, unsure as to why he was sounding that way. It was just a simple question; I couldn't figure out why my asking about vitamins would make him so emotional.

"I was just a little worried you'd take another option. You know, er, abor-," he started.

I cut him off, not interested in hearing that word; it made me sick to my stomach that he would even think it. "I would never do that. I don't care that we didn't plan this, and I don't care whether I feel ready or not. _That_ is not an option." My voice was firm.

He let out a shaky breath. "I am so glad you feel that way," he said. "Ever since…well, ever since you showed me your, uh, yellow thing, I was worried that you'd consider…that."

"We should have talked about that before, I guess," I said, yawning. It was ridiculously early, but I was exhausted, despite my nap earlier.

"You're tired," he said. "You should sleep."

"I'd rather talk to you," I replied.

"And I you," he assured me. "But you need your rest, especially now."

"If I promise to lie down, will you talk to me for a little while longer?" I asked, already making my way to the bedroom.

"Just a few minutes," he conceded.

"You never answered my question about the vitamins."

He chuckled lightly. "You can buy the over the counter ones; they're not as good as the prescription variety, but they'll do until you find a doctor."

Satisfied with that answer, I changed into my pajamas and as I climbed into bed, I asked him, "Do you really have your travel agent on standby, waiting to book you a ticket out here?"

"Is this you asking me to come?"

"Maybe," I said. "I just feel so alone all of a sudden, and there's so much for me to do, so much to get ready. Plus, I'm not sure I want to meet with Emmett alone and what if he brings Rose? And I have to tell my parents about moving and maybe it's too soon to tell them about being pregnant, I don't know. I just wish you could be my support person instead of Alice. I'm sorry for rambling, everything's just so overwhelming." The tears were starting again. I could tell that I was in for an emotional night.

"Oh baby, I wish I was there with you right now. You shouldn't be alone, and you won't be. I'll put in for a leave of absence and take a red eye out tomorrow night. I'll be there Wednesday morning," he promised.

"What about your patients?" I asked. _What are you doing? Trying to talk him out of coming? _my mind screamed.

"There are six other doctors in the clinic; they'll survive for a couple of weeks without me."

"Oh, Edward, thank you," I whispered, closing my eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't just let you come in the first place."

"Don't be sorry. And don't worry. Everything's going to work out, I promise. I love you."

"I love you, too," I said, but my words were already slurred with sleepiness.

"Sleep, my love. I'll talk to you tomorrow, and I'll see you on Wednesday."

"Okay." I fell asleep quickly, hearing his promise echoing through my mind all night long.

**Okay, there's chapter 16. I wanted to have the conversation with Emmett in this chapter, but Bella and Edward had other ideas… So that's in next week's chapter, I promise—it's already written and everything! Just waiting to be beta-ed.**

**I know this was the opposite result several of you were hoping for, but please stick with me anyway. I've had this planned for several chapters now, and it's the story I wanted to tell. It'll be good, I promise :).**

**As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts.**


	17. When You Say Nothing At All

**A/N: Just the normal stuff: **

**I don't own **_**Twilight**_**. **

**Special thanks to my friends, Gerri (super beta extraordinaire) and Rory (the best pre-reader a girl could hope for), for making my story look like a super hero with their beautiful red and blue correction marks :). **

**And of course, thanks to you, for reading.**

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: WHEN YOU SAY NOTHING AT ALL**

**Edward**

Blindly, I searched my bed the next morning, looking with my hands for Bella. I was dismayed to feel only the cold pillow where she'd been sleeping, and the edge of the bed. I opened my eyes and remembered the previous day. She wasn't here, of course. She was back in Seattle, making preparations to return here. Then the memory of the previous evening crashed over me. _Was that real? Did that really happen?_ I reached over to the bedside table and grabbed my phone, opening up my message folder. There it was, the photograph she'd sent me. A definite pink line in each of the windows. A reminder of my irresponsibility. I sighed and flopped back against my pillow, still staring at the picture.

I knew I should get up and get out of bed, but I wasn't quite ready yet. I wanted—no, needed—to stare at that photo a little longer. "Hey!" I said out loud to no one when the picture suddenly disappeared. When it was replaced with my mother's phone number on the caller ID, though, I realized what had happened and relaxed. Pushing the correct button, I answered my mother's call.

"Oh, Edward," she sobbed into the phone.

"Mom, what's wrong?" My mom was tough; she hardly ever cried, so I knew that something was really wrong for her to be calling me in such a state this morning.

"It's my father," she choked out.

"What's happened to Grandpa Platt?" My mind was suddenly reeling. My mother's father was the only one of my grandparents still living. Both of my father's parents had been killed in an accident when he was in his early twenties, before Jasper was born, and my mother's mother had passed just a few weeks after I'd graduated medical school. The Vanquish had been her final gift to me. Since Grandma had passed, Grandpa Platt had become something of a cornerstone of our family. I'd just seen him last week with Bella, and he'd been fine. I couldn't understand how this was happening.

My mother's racking sobs continued, and finally I asked, "Mom, is Dad there?" When she didn't answer, only continued to cry, I said firmly, "Could you please let me talk to Dad or Jasper?"

There was a scuffle in the background, and I knew she was complying with my request. I stood from the bed and started pacing. "Edward?" came my father's voice.

"Dad, what's going on? All she's said is that there's something wrong with Grandpa." I could hear the panic in my voice.

Thick with emotion, my father answered me gravely. "He's had a heart attack. He's in the hospital now, but it doesn't look good. We're all here." I knew that he meant his hospital, the one he worked at. It was the only one my father wouldn't feel the need to name.

"Why didn't you call me sooner?" I demanded, appalled that I'd slept through this family crisis.

"We knew you needed to rest, and that you would have to work today. Besides, we expected him to pull through," my father explained. "When it became clear this morning that he probably wouldn't, we called you straightaway."

I plopped back down onto the bed. Sighing heavily, I said, "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Of course; see you soon," my father said.

I snapped my phone shut, ending the call, and immediately called Dr. Snow, my supervisor, explaining that there was a family emergency and that I wouldn't be in today. He was very understanding and didn't question me beyond what I told him. I'd have to discuss the possibility of that leave of absence I'd promised Bella later. Knowing that my family was waiting for me, I showered and dressed quickly, leaving my place within fifteen minutes of hanging up the phone with my father.

I drove quickly, and not necessarily safely, in my haste to get to the hospital. I spoke to the receptionist at the front desk, and got my grandfather's room number. I rode the elevator up to the fourth floor, cursing its slow speed the whole way. When the doors finally opened, I found my family quickly, embracing my mother in a tight, comforting hug. She cried into my shoulder, and I just stood there, numb, holding her, letting her cry, not knowing what else to do. I don't know how long I stood there holding my mother, but I knew that in this situation, it would never be long enough. At some point, a nurse came over to us and said, "Dr. Cullen?"

"Yes?" my father and I responded simultaneously.

She smiled sheepishly. "Dr. Edward Cullen," she said with a blush rivaling one of Bella's. I looked at her expectantly; I could tell by the way she eyed me up and down that she knew I was the Dr. Cullen she was looking for. That, and the fact that she probably already knew my father since this was his hospital. "Mr. Platt—er, your grandfather—would like to see you."

I nodded curtly, and turned to my mother. "Are you going to be okay out here, with Dad and Jasper?" I asked her gently.

"Of course, dear," she said, wiping the tears from her face.

I nodded again, and gently passed her over to my dad. Then I turned and followed the nurse down the corridor and to my grandfather's room. I took a seat in the turquoise-colored recliner while the nurse checked his vitals. After she left, my grandfather spoke. "I don't think I have long left, Edward."

"Don't say that. You'll pull through," I interjected, whether to convince my grandfather or myself, I wasn't sure. I could feel tears pricking the corners of my eyes, and I fought to keep them inside.

"Now, just hear me out," he insisted; his voice was frail, but still _him_. I watched him intently, waiting for him to continue. If there was one thing I'd learned about Grandpa Platt over the years, it was not to interrupt him. I'd already done that once since I'd entered the room, and I knew that even one more offense would have him practically skinning me alive, regardless of his fragile state. "I don't expect to leave this room again," he said in that oddly frail-yet-firm voice, reaffirming what he'd said at my entrance. "And I just want you to know, so that you're not taken off guard when I go, that you'll be getting the majority of my estate." I gaped at him, not having to worry about interrupting now. I wouldn't know what to say even if I'd wanted to. He went on to explain himself. "Your mother was an only child, and she and Carlisle have done well for themselves; they won't be upset by this, I promise you that; they don't need my money or my house. But you, you're going to need someplace for you and your lovely lady to raise children someday; I want you to have the house. Your brother will get some of the money, too, but since it looks like you're going to be settling down sooner than he is, well, I think you'll put it to better use..." he trailed off, wheezing. He coughed a few times and closed his eyes. I wasn't sure whether he was still awake, or if he'd fallen asleep. I knew that people in this state were known to do that: to fall asleep suddenly. I could hear his labored breaths, so I wasn't overly concerned about him yet. I knew the signs to look for, and would be able to not only get his acting physician in here, but also assist should something go abruptly wrong. So I sat back and tried to relax, listening to my grandfather breathe and thinking over what he'd just said to me.

He'd said that I'd be getting the 'majority' of everything. What did that mean? He'd specifically mentioned the house, but I knew he had been quite wealthy. Of course, I'd rather he just lived; I didn't care about the inheritance. I'd rather have my grandfather.

He'd said that Jasper would be getting "some," but it definitely sounded like Bella and I would be well taken care of. I couldn't help but wonder how he'd split the stocks and bank accounts. I knew, as did Jasper, that Grandpa didn't approve of his reputation with the ladies. He had seen Jasper's womanizing as a form of irresponsibility, and I suspected that was where he'd come up with the idea that I'd "put it to better use." Jasper was better recently, since he'd met Alice, but once one has developed a reputation, it's very difficult to shed it. There was still no guarantee that he and Alice would work out, anyway. They'd only been together a week, and had now been away from each other as long as they'd been together.

One word came back to haunt me. _Ladies._ I thought it ironic that my brother had been with more women than I had, yet now it was me looking at becoming a father before marriage. How apt his statement had been, that Bella and I would need someplace to raise children. I leaned forward and rested my head in my hands. What was I going to do about that situation? I wanted to do the right thing, and I would do as much as I could. I'd be there for Bella, be there for our child, no doubt about that, but beyond that, I had no idea what to do or expect.

Several things happened at the same time just then. First, my grandfather sputtered in his sleep, choking on something unseen. His heart monitor started beeping uncontrollably. The room quickly filled with doctors and nurses, and I was unceremoniously thrown out. Though I was still fairly new to the medical profession, and worked in a clinic rather than a hospital, I knew this was not a good sign. I stood outside the closed door and a silent tear slid down my face.

x-x-x

Sitting with my mother after the doctors came out with the news that he hadn't made it was the absolute hardest thing I'd ever done in my life. It had been difficult when her mother had passed, but nothing compared to this. The three of us—Mom, Jasper, and I—sat in the hospital waiting room all day. There was really nothing to do, but it felt less real that way. As soon as we left, I knew that the reality of the situation would suddenly overtake all of us.

Dad took care of the final arrangements, saving Mom from that task. It was a true testament to the love he felt for her that he did that, considering he'd already done this twice; once for his parents so many years before, and once for Grandma Platt.

We didn't leave the hospital until well after midnight. I'd forgotten my cell phone at home in my hurry this morning, and when I got home, it was vibrating out of control. I closed my eyes tightly and squeezed the bridge of my nose before I grabbed the phone and looked at the screen. Four missed calls and one text message. All from Bella. She'd been very patient all day; four calls wasn't bad considering I'd promised to call her today. And only one text. She was a very patient woman, and I loved her for it. I read her text.

_I've been trying to call you all day. Is everything ok? ~B xoxo_

I responded right away, despite the late hour and the fact that the message was several hours old.

_Are you still up?_

I waited as long as I could, sitting on the sofa looking again at the picture that she'd sent me the previous evening. Suddenly, it seemed like a photograph of hope rather than one of my gross miscalculations. One life was beginning just as another had ended.

After half an hour, I came to the conclusion that Bella must have gone to sleep for the night. I knew she was expecting me in Seattle in the morning, and I just wasn't going to make it there on time. I had to explain to her, but obviously I wouldn't get that opportunity tonight. I sent one more message to her phone before going to bed.

_Call me the second you get this. I don't care what time it is. I love you._

x-x-x

**Bella**

I slept fitfully all night, wondering why Edward hadn't called like he'd said he would. Not that I needed his reassurance; I was a strong, independent woman. That's what I told myself, anyway, so why was it that all I wanted was to hear his voice? My alarm clock went off right on time, and I hit the snooze button. Before it had gone off again, I heard the tell-tale ringtone of a new text message on my phone. I scrambled out of bed and to the kitchen where I'd left the phone plugged in on the counter overnight; it had come in nearly eight hours earlier, I just hadn't heard the ping before. Turns out there were two messages from Edward. I read them both and looked at the clock in my empty kitchen. Six thirty. Add two hours, and he should be at work. Except that he was supposed to be on a plane on his way here. What was going on? I decided that it would be better to make the call rather than jump to conclusions. Worst case scenario, he would be on the plane still and unable to take my call. _No, worst case scenario, he's still in Illinois,_ a little voice in the back of my head muttered. I dialed him immediately, ready for an explanation, no matter what it was.

"Bella," he answered, sounding breathless.

"Hey, you. What's going on? I missed talking to you yesterday."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I forgot my phone at home."

"Oh. Well, that's okay. No big deal. So, are you here yet?" He sighed heavily, and I instantly knew that the tiny voice in my head had been right. "You're not coming, are you?" I whispered.

"I fully intended to, Bella, I swear. But I was stuck at the hospital all day yesterday…"

"What were you doing at the hospital yesterday?" I interrupted him, confused.

"I was at my dad's hospital. My grandfather, my mom's dad, had a heart attack."

"Oh, my," I spluttered, suddenly remorseful at the feelings of frustration I'd had just seconds ago. I remembered meeting the man during the week I'd been there; he was so warm and friendly, and had seemed perfectly healthy. "Is he okay?"

"No. He didn't make it."

"I'm so sorry, Edward," I said quietly, not knowing what else to say. Though I'd only met him once, I felt horrible about Edward's loss at the death of his grandfather. Somehow, _I _felt a sense of loss as well; I'd been looking forward to getting to know him better, and more recently, the thought of having him meet his great-grandchild in a few months had almost been enough to relieve some of the fear I'd been feeling since Monday night. Almost.

"Thank you for saying that. But now, I don't know for sure when I'll be able to get out there to be with you," he said apologetically. "It'll probably be early next week at best."

"Don't be ridiculous. You need to be there for your mom right now. Don't worry about me."

"The memorial service is going to be soon; we were his only family, and my mom just wants to get it over with. She's taking this really hard, and she doesn't want to drag it out any longer than necessary. I think she mentioned Saturday morning. I could take a flight out after that and be there by Monday." It sounded like he was trying to be in two places at once, trying to take care of his mother and me at the same time.

"That really is not necessary," I lied, feeling incredibly selfish. How could I expect him to drop everything to come be with me when his family needed him? I couldn't. I wanted to, but I couldn't. "My request Monday night came from a place of fear and shock; I promise you I'll be fine. I can manage everything here."

"No, I want to come. I should be there for you; you've got a couple of extremely difficult conversations coming up, and you need me."

"Not as much as your mom needs you," I argued.

"We'll discuss this later, after the memorial service," he said.

"Fine."

"Can you postpone your trip to your parents' place until I get there? Maybe we can go midweek? Or next weekend?" he asked. "I think that's definitely a conversation I need to be there for."

"Yeah, probably," I agreed. "I'll call my mom tonight after work and make arrangements."

"What about Emmett? Have you scheduled that meeting yet?"

"No, I've been avoiding him as much as possible."

"Schedule that one for Tuesday night. I promise you I'll be there by then. You have my word on that."

"You know I'm not upset that you're not here right now, right? I mean, yeah, I'm bummed, but I understand. There's no way this could have been avoided, and I don't blame you for it," I told him, feeling a need to defend his actions for him.

"I love you, baby."

"I love you, too." Tears welled up in my eyes and my nose got a little stuffy.

"I've got to go check on my mom."

"Yes, do that. I've got to get to work, anyway. And Edward, I really am sorry about your grandfather and everything you and your family are going through. Please express my condolences to your mother for me."

"I will."

"I wish I could be there with you. Why does everything have to happen at once? I just wish I could hold you so badly."

"I know Bella, and you will, soon." I could hear the sadness in his voice. "I miss you."

"Me too, so much. I really wish we could stay on this line longer, but I know you have to go and I do, too, so I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay. Bye for now."

"Bye."

Saying the words over the phone wasn't good enough, I had to do something more for Edward's family in this difficult time. I called the office and told them that I'd be working from home today, and thought through what would be needed in the Cullens' time of need. Plants and flowers were typical for this situation but what was 'typical' didn't feel like enough; they were my family, too, now, and I wanted to do more.

My strength was definitely food, so that's what I decided to do. I wasn't sure a casserole would survive through the mail, even if I sent it overnight, so I decided on something less risky, desserts. Several hours later, I had made two pies, a cake, and several dozen cookies. That seemed much more loving to me than a potted plant. While the last batch of cookies was cooling on the rack, I rifled through my stationery until I found a sympathy card, then sat at the table and wrote a simple note to the family, particularly Esme.

When I'd finished that one, I got to thinking; it had been a long time since I'd written a letter to Edward. It hadn't really felt necessary since we were together now, but I still didn't want to lose that connection. It was such an unusual way for two people to have met, and it really was something that was too cool to lose. I turned to a fresh sheet of paper in my spiral notebook and started writing.

_Dear Edward,_

_I just want to say again how sorry I am about your grandfather. I wish I could be there for you guys in your time of need, but I can't, so I'm sending the sweets instead. I hope you guys enjoy them._

_So, I don't really know what to write. We talk so much now that the writing seems unnecessary, but I don't ever want it to become something from our past. I mean, yeah, it was our past, and now we have such a bright future together, but still..._

_Do you remember that song from a few years ago, "When You Say Nothing at All"? I heard it the other day, it was playing in the restaurant I was having lunch at, and I really listened to it carefully. I always loved that song when I was younger, but it has so much more meaning now. I never really got it before; I mean, how could saying nothing be more effective than talking? But after spending the week with you, I totally get it. I feel like we are able to communicate without speaking, just using gentle touches and looking into each others' eyes. Every single lyric in that song is completely applicable to how I feel when I'm with you. "Try as I may, I could never explain, what I hear when you don't say a thing." "When you hold me near, you drown out the crowd." And the chorus, oh the chorus,_

_The smile on your face lets me know that you need me_

_There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me_

_The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall_

_You say it best when you say nothing at all_

_The crowd line is the best, though. I remember the night we went to the Pier, and there were people all around us, but you pulled me close to your chest, holding me tight while we watched the fireworks. Neither of us said much during that time, but just being in your arms was everything I could have hoped for. You really did "drown out the crowd" for me that night. All I wanted was to stay in your arms forever. Your smile and the way your eyes light up every time you look at me makes me think that that just might be possible. I can't explain the way I feel when you look at me that way, I just know that as long as I live, I never want to _not_ feel that. No one else, nothing else matters, so long as we can be together. _

_Okay, well, I'm starting to cry now—can I blame it on pregnancy hormones yet?—so I'm going to wrap this up before the ink smears and the whole thing is unreadable. _

_Thank you for being you._

_I love you._

_Yours, _

_Bella_

I ripped the paper out and folded it into thirds, stuck it in an envelope, wrote Edward's name on the outside, and gently packed the letter along with the card and my day's work into a box. It wasn't quite five yet, so I rushed to the post office and shipped the package via overnight mail.

x-x-x

I didn't want to face Emmett by myself, not even in the office, so the next day, I holed up at my desk as much as I could. At Edward's request, I sent Emmett an email seeing if he was available for Tuesday night, and less than a minute later, I got a confirmation that that would work for him. Just to make sure that he understood that this wouldn't be a completely private meeting, I sent another email to him.

_Please bring Rose to the meeting. Edward's coming back, and he'll be accompanying me._

_~B_

Within minutes, I had a reply.

_What do you mean Edward's coming back and accompanying you? This is the same Edward as before, your pen pal from Chicago, right? I don't understand why he'd care…_

_-Emmett_

I'd forgotten that he didn't know about Edward and me. Our relationship was new, but still seemed so comfortable that I often forgot that it was new.

_Yes, the same Edward. After you…well, you know, he was there for me. Now we're kinda together. _

_~B_

There was no real reason to throw that back in face, but at the same time, it was the best way to explain the situation.

_Oh. That's unexpected. Yeah, bring him. I'll bring Rose. See you Tuesday._

_-Emmettt_

I scoffed at my computer screen. Good thing he agreed, because I was bringing Edward regardless. Rolling my eyes, I closed out of the email program and continued my work for the day. I was informed that because I was scheduled to transfer soon, my caseload would be light; I was sent to the courthouse to represent the firm for our monthly requirement of indigent work. Fortunately, the case I was assigned was a simple one, and I knew I could probably plea bargain it out. If not, the trial would be a short one. I could definitely finish it up in the few weeks I had left here.

I went back to the apartment that night feeling accomplished after the busy day. Accomplished and tired. There was too much for me to do to rest yet, though. The most important thing was that I had to call my parents and push back my trip to Forks.

"Hello?" my mom's singsong voice greeted me.

"Hi, Mom," I said tentatively, worried about pushing back my trip.

"Bella, honey, I'm so glad to hear your voice," she enthused.

"Me, too, Mom."

"I'm glad you called. How are you, sweetheart?"

"I'm…okay," I said slowly, giving her the cookie-cutter response; it didn't really do justice to what I was going through, but I didn't want to tell her too much yet. There was so much to say, and none of it was acceptable news to deliver over the phone.

"Good, I'm glad. Are you still planning on coming up this weekend?" she asked, apparently not noticing my less-than-truthful response to her last question.

"Actually, Mom, that's why I'm calling. I need to push the trip back a few days. Is next Friday okay instead of this weekend? I've got someone I want you and Dad to meet, so the two of us will be able to come together when I get off work Friday afternoon."

"Oh, that's fine, dear. I'll miss you this weekend, but I understand how things can change."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about canceling."

"It really is fine, Bella, I promise. No worries, okay?"

"Okay. Love you. Bye, Mom."

"I love you, too. Bye, sweetie."

The rest of the week flew by in a flurry of paperwork, email, visits to the courthouse for my case, and trying to pack up my apartment. By the time Saturday came, I was absolutely exhausted and spent most of the day trying to recuperate from the hectic week. I had no energy to go out, but I also didn't want to be alone, so I called Alice and she came over. We sat together in my half-packed apartment and watched movies and chit-chatted all day. It was really great just hanging out with her, right up until the end.

"So, er, Rose called me the other day," Alice said shyly. I could tell from her tone that she'd been meaning to mention this all day, and was just now able to pluck up the courage.

I tried to hide my discomfort with the fact that she had talked with Rosalie. I shouldn't have been upset, but for some reason I was. Rose was her sister, after all, and probably deserved Alice's loyalty before I did. _Blood is thicker than water_ and all that. I swallowed and said, "That's good, Alice. I'm glad you guys aren't letting my issues keep you apart." Even I could hear the petulance in my voice.

"Yeah," she said quietly. It sounded like there was something more she wanted to add, so I waited, looking at her intently, trying to tell her silently to just spit it out. Finally, after about a minute of staring at each other, she did. "She was asking about you, you know, how you're doing and everything, and I told her about Edward, and about the baby." Her voice was tiny by the end.

"What! Alice, how could you? I haven't even told my parents yet! How could you blab to Rose?"

I could see the remorse in her face, but I was too frustrated with her in this moment to care much. She looked truly ashamed of what she'd done. "I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't mean to, it just slipped out."

"I can't believe you did that; I'm so angry with you right now. I think you should go. Just go. I can't talk to you right now," I said with angry, tear-filled eyes. I didn't want to say anything to her that I'd regret later, and I was afraid if she stayed, that would be exactly what would happen.

She nodded, blinking back her own tears, stood from my couch and left. I was moody for the rest of the night, and eventually just went to bed early and surprisingly, fell right to sleep.

x-x-x

"Go away," I mumbled when my phone started ringing early Sunday morning. I knew that it could be important, though, so despite the early hour, I reached for it and jabbed the right button, answering without checking the caller ID first. "What?" I complained.

"Bella?"

"Edward?" I was suddenly awake.

"Yeah, hey, I'm at O'Hare, getting ready to board. I won't be able to call you or anything once we take off, but I wanted to let you know that I'm on my way."

For the first time since I'd sent Alice away last night, I felt good. The tears I felt welling up in my eyes were no longer tears of frustration or lament, they were tears of joy. "So, you should be here in about…?" I trailed off, turning the statement into a question.

"Four hours," he told me.

"I'll be there," I promised.

"I was hoping you'd say that. I can't wait to see you."

"Me, too. Well, to see you."

"I knew what you meant." I could see his smirk in my imagination.

"I love you. I'll see you soon," I said as the corners of my mouth turned up in a smile.

"I love you more."

"Bye."

"Bye." The call disconnected, and I immediately went into the bathroom and showered and got ready for the day. As soon as I was done, I left for the airport, not caring that I was going to be ridiculously early. I just wanted to see him, besides, I still had that crossword puzzle book to finish up.

x-x-x

Sunday and Monday were fabulous. Being in Edward's arms again made me feel like I was home again. Taking a hint from his Navy Pier date in Chicago, I took him to the one place that shouldn't be missed in Seattle, the Space Needle. Needless to say we had a wonderful time together.

He was the perfect partner, in every situation it seemed, even working on packing my apartment for me while I spent Monday and Tuesday at work. Then Tuesday night was upon us, and I came back to the apartment to pick Edward up for our meeting with Emmett and Rosalie. By the time I arrived, I was shaking like a leaf, and agreed to let Edward drive while I gave him directions to the coffeehouse.

"I'm here for moral support, tonight, Bella," Edward said as he drove through the streets of downtown Seattle. "The conversation is primarily going to be between the three of you, but I'll be there if you need me." He was just reminding me of what we'd already talked about. What had happened really didn't involve him, except that it had freed me to be with him, so he wasn't planning on speaking much, if at all.

I just nodded my agreement of his words. About a minute later, I said, "It's up there, on the left," pointing out the agreed upon location. He parked my truck and helped me out. We walked hand in hand through the door and after looking around the large room and not seeing Emmett or Rosalie, we went to the counter and ordered drinks, decaf for both of us. We found a table for four and waited. The others showed up within ten minutes.

Edward and I both stood as Emmett and Rose approached the table, and we all greeted each other formally. I noticed that they were holding hands, and Rosalie looked ashamed and uncomfortable. She never met my eyes. I wasn't sure what to make of that. After the four of us had shaken hands, everyone sat back down and we just looked at each other for several minutes.

Finally, after what felt like years, Emmett sighed and said, "I guess I should go first." No one acknowledged his statement; I was sure everyone agreed with him, but no one else was willing to speak yet. He looked directly at me when he spoke, and I held his gaze. I was proud of myself for managing that. "I know you need more than this, but I just want to start by apologizing. I'm sorry for hurting you, Bella." Still, no one else spoke, and before the silence became even more uncomfortable, he continued. "I know this is no excuse, but that first time you brought Rose home, I couldn't deny the physical attraction I felt towards her." He placed his arm affectionately around Rosalie's shoulders when he spoke of her; I tensed, and Edward mimicked Emmett's action and put his arm around me, which allowed me to relax again almost instantly.

"Well, I guess I should just be glad that you had enough integrity to break up with me when you realized you wanted to be with her instead." A pained look flashed across Emmett's face, and in that moment, I wasn't really angry anymore. There was no reason for me to be. We'd broken up, that was it. It happened all the time. "You know, Em, I really should be thanking you, not demanding your apology. I thought I loved you, and I'm sure you thought you loved me too. And maybe we did, to an extent, but I really can't justify being mad any longer. We made a mistake when we got engaged; obviously we weren't in love... not with each other anyway. I'm not going to deny that you hurt me, you left me for her and you could have broken up with me sooner instead of when you did, but in the long run, the fact that you broke things off was the best thing you could have done." I placed my hand on Edward's knee, silently telling him that he was the reason the breakup had been a good thing.

"Really?" Emmett asked. "I can't believe how well you're taking this, Bella. After what I did to you...that night especially," he sounded like he had stumbled over the words, trying to choose the right ones, "I actually kind of expected you to be more... sad or mad or something." I couldn't tell what the connotation of those words was. I hoped he wasn't actually upset that I'd moved on, and I told him so. "Of course I'm glad you moved on, Bella, I just didn't expect it to happen so quickly."

"You have got to be kidding me!" I couldn't believe he just said that. "Hmmp!" Now I was mad again. "So, you get to dump me on the eve of _our _wedding, and then what, you thought I would be pining over you for months, is that it?" The look on his face confirmed what I'd just said. "You know what? I was not the only one that was replaceable in this relationship, only this time, I got to know and fall in love with the person I was always meant to be with and it didn't take me long after I met him in person to figure that out. Listen Emmett, I really do wish you well, and you can see I am doing just fine, well, better than fine actually, so you can get over your guilty conscience or whatever. You don't have to worry about me anymore. I wish I could say that I have buried the hatchet, so to speak, but it's still too soon for that. In time I'll get there I'm sure, but I'm not there yet. So for now, why don't we just call it a night?"

I started to stand, pulling Edward up with me when Rosalie spoke for the first time. "Bella?" She sounded timid and weak, which was odd to me, because Rose was usually anything but.

I looked at her. "Yes?"

"Is it true? What Alice told me?" She was looking nervously between Emmett and me, and I suspected by the way her gaze lingered longer on him than it did on me that she had already shared the gossip with him. When I chanced another glance at Emmett, he was looking at me with apt interest, and I knew that I was right.

Taken aback by her forwardness, I plopped heavily back into my chair and looked up at Edward. He sat back down, too, and looked into my eyes, and I was instantly lost in his green gaze. He nodded slightly at me, a silent gesture that told me it was okay to share with them. Still looking at Edward instead of the others, I whispered, "Yes."

Emmett's sharp intake of breath brought me back to the situation at hand. I looked at him, and now his eyes were boring into mine. "You mean I'm going to be…?" he trailed off, trying to read some sort of expression in my face.

I'm sure the one I gave him—shock and horror—was not what he was expecting. I hadn't even given one iota of consideration to the fact that I'd been with Emmett only two days before he called off the wedding. I thought back to last week, and tried to visualize the pill blisters. I was pretty sure the first one I'd missed had been Wednesday. Emmett and I hadn't broke up until Friday night, and I knew that we'd had sex on that Thursday.

"No," Edward spoke up, seeing the look of panic on my face. "You're not."

"What, you?" Emmett asked incredulously.

"Yeah." Edward's voice was firm; he was so confident. How was he so confident? I mean, yeah, I'd been sure the baby was his, too, until right this minute. Now, though, I had no idea. And that scared me even more than being pregnant in the first place.

"Bella?" Emmett asked, ignoring Edward now.

"I don't know," I whispered, and tears were already flowing down my face. I couldn't believe that I'd made such a huge blunder. I never thought in a million years that I'd be in this situation; pregnant and not knowing for sure who the father was.

"We're going," Edward said abruptly, standing from his chair. He pulled me up, too, and before anyone could say another word, he'd pulled me out of the café and buckled me into the passenger seat of my truck. My tears prevented me from seeing anything on the return trip to the apartment building. I was glad Edward remembered the way. He helped me out, and supported most of my weight up the stairs. When we got there, he skipped the living room altogether, leading me to the bedroom and helping me to change into pajamas and tucking me into the bed. He laid down beside me, wiped my tears away, stroked my hair back and whispered into my ear, "The biology doesn't matter. This baby is ours."

**There's a link to the song Bella mentions on my profile :).**

**Thanks for reading, please review.**


	18. Charlie and Renee

**A/N: Just the normal stuff: **

**I don't own **_**Twilight**_**. **

**Special thanks to my friends, Gerri (super beta extraordinaire) and Rory (the best pre-reader a girl could hope for), for making my story look like a super hero with their beautiful red and blue correction marks :). **

**And of course, thanks to you, for reading.**

**Okay, I set up a twitter account, not really sure about it. If someone wouldn't mind PM-ing me the basics, that would be awesome. I mean, I get that you're supposed to send out tiny little messages, but is that it? I'm pathetic, I guess lol. Give me a day or two to get it figured out, and then you can follow me wmr1601. Thanks everyone!**

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

**Edward**

"Did you really mean what you said the other night? The biology thing?" Bella asked me about half an hour after we had gotten off the ferry. We were driving west on the 101 toward the Pacific Ocean and her hometown of Forks. Well, I was driving; she was too nervous about the weekend with her parents to drive. Driving her truck around all week kind of made me wish I'd driven my Volvo out instead of flying. Of course, that would have delayed my arrival even further, so I banished that thought immediately.

"Have you been worried about that all week?" I asked, narrowing my eyes slightly and cocking my head in wonder that she would feel the need to ask such a question. It was completely unnecessary; of course I'd meant what I'd said. I wasn't the kind of guy who danced around issues or said something because I thought it was what someone wanted to hear. If I said something, it was the truth, especially in a situation as serious as this.

"Kind of, yeah," she said shyly.

"I wish I'd known you were worried about that sooner, because you needn't have been. Bella look at me," I said taking my eyes off the road to look over at her for an instant, "I meant what I said, one hundred percent. Please don't ever doubt that."

She was quiet again after that, thinking through what she was going to tell her parents, I presumed. I didn't pressure her into talking. She scooted over to the middle seat at some point, and I wrapped my right arm around her shoulders. She sighed happily and rested her head on my shoulder.

With all the quiet contemplation, I didn't even notice that she'd fallen asleep until I passed the sign that said _The City of Forks Welcomes You. _As I needed Bella to guide me the rest of the way to her parents' house, I gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and asked for directions. "Hey, wake up Sleeping Beauty," I coaxed her when she didn't respond. "We're here," I added, hoping that would urge her awake.

She mumbled quietly and stretched. She blinked and looked out the windshield. When she recognized the scenery, she said, "We're here already?" I couldn't help but chuckle lightly when she repeated the words I'd just said; obviously she hadn't heard me. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to fall asleep." Her voice was still groggy, even though her nap had been short.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sorry I had to wake you, but I don't know where to go from here. There are signs to Forks, but once we got here, there are no signs leading to the chief's house." I smirked.

"S'okay," she mumbled. After blinking a few more times, she seemed to wake up a bit, and by the time we pulled up in front of the house she indicated belonged to her parents, her drowsiness seemed to have completely dissipated.

"So, are your parents expecting me to be joining you this weekend?" I inquired. We hadn't spoken much about what the weekend would entail, and I was suddenly a little nervous about being here, in her parents' territory, after everything that had happened the past three weeks. I'd met them the last time I was in Washington, of course, but the situation was so drastically different now than it had been then that I wasn't sure how well I would be received.

"Not exactly," she dodged.

Now I was really nervous. "What do you mean _not exactly_?"

She dropped her gaze to her lap, and spoke quietly. "I told my mom that I was bringing someone home that I wanted them to meet."

"Someone? That's the word you used?"

"Yes." Her voice was very small.

I sighed. "So you haven't told them anything that's gone on in your life in the past three weeks?"

"No."

"Would you mind explaining that to me?" My nervousness was being replaced with anger. I didn't _want_ to be angry with her, but I couldn't help it. How she'd managed to tell _Alice_ but not her own parents was beyond me.

"Don't be mad, please," she pleaded. "I just didn't know how to approach the subject with my mom, and besides, over the phone or by email didn't seem right. I wanted to have the conversation with them in person."

I took a deep breath and ran my hands through my hair in frustration, pulling slightly on the ends. "So, they know nothing?" I clarified.

"Well, they know the wedding was cancelled, I talked to them the next morning, remember?" she said.

"At least that's something," I muttered.

"Please don't be upset with me. I really won't be able to take it if I have to worry about you _and_ them. I'll tell them everything this weekend. That is the point of this trip, after all."

I leaned in and kissed her chastely on the lips. "I'm not _too_ upset; I was just surprised that you haven't mentioned me to them. You don't have to worry about me; I'm in this with you. Are you really going to tell them everything?"

"Everything," she promised.

I nodded. Her reason for not having said anything thus far was a good one, so I was able to contain my frustration, almost eliminating it. Her words from a couple of weeks ago played through my head: _I just couldn't stay mad. It was a weird sensation. _I knew exactly what she meant now. It was impossible for me to stay mad at Bella.

Looking over Bella's head and out the window, I noticed her mom standing in the doorway and guessed that Renee had seen our exchange and the kiss. "I think your mom saw us just now."

"Meh, that's okay," she said, initiating a kiss of her own. I smiled against her mouth and returned the kiss, being careful not to let it get too intense with her mother watching us.

"We should probably get out now," I told her.

"Fine. If you insist," she teased.

"It's not me who insists; I'm pretty sure your mom would rather you introduced your 'someone,'" I scowled as I said this part, but recovered quickly, "than stayed in your truck kissing all afternoon."

"You're probably right," she laughed. "Are you ready?"

"Of course. I've been ready for a long time; besides, I've met them before, you know."

"I know. But last time, it was as my longtime pen pal whom I was meeting for the first time. This time it's as the guy who's convinced their daughter to move two thousand miles away with him. And that doesn't even take into account the pregnancy." She said all this with such ease; I was impressed.

"Aren't you nervous about telling them all of that?" I was honestly curious; before we'd left Seattle, she'd said she was too nervous to drive, and now she was speaking with such calm resolve.

"Terrified. But having you here makes it all feel okay." Her voice grew quieter and more contemplative toward the end of her statement.

I knew then that I had to put that calm mask back on, the one I'd worn when we'd been at my place—our home—before we knew for sure. I hoped I'd be able to manage it this weekend. I had a feeling that her parents probably wouldn't take too kindly to our circumstance. And if they decided that they didn't like me after Bella revealed our news, I wasn't sure I'd be able to stay relaxed for her. And I knew that's what she would need. _Yes_, I decided. _No matter what, I must keep my cool for Bella. Everything's all set for her move, it's just a matter of follow-through now. Don't do anything to make her question her decision. _"I am here for you," I assured her. "You're my reason for everything."

She turned and smiled at me, a stunning smile that made her eyes sparkle. "Okay, let's get out now; I'm as ready as I'll ever be," she said confidently, grabbing my hand.

I returned her smile, glad that she was feeling confident again, and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before I had to let go in order to climb out; I walked around, noticing Renée's probing eyes watching my every move as I opened Bella's door and helped her down, then grabbed the duffle bag we'd decided to share since it was just a two night trip. I extended my hand to her again which she accepted as she pushed the passenger door closed.

We walked hand in hand up the path to the house, and when we reached the steps that led up to the front porch, Bella dropped my hand and climbed the three steps to where her mother stood. They embraced, and after hushed greetings, Bella turned to me, held out her hand—which I gladly took—and said to her mother, "Mom, you remember Edward."

"Of course I remember Edward," she said excitedly, extending her hand in greeting. I set the duffle bag down on the concrete porch and shook Renée's hand.

"It's nice to see you again, Mrs. Swan," I told her.

"Please, Edward, I told you last time, Renée is fine," she told me.

"Renée," I conceded, nodding at her and moving my hand from Bella's hand to her shoulder, holding her close to me.

"Well, come in, you guys," she told us, draping her arm around Bella, ignoring the fact that my hand was wrapped around Bella's shoulders as well. I heard her whisper into Bella's ear, "I hope you're planning on explaining this."

"I am, Mom, that's why we're here," Bella assured her mother. I squeezed her shoulder in a silent gesture of support. "I promise you'll get answers this weekend."

We entered the living room of the house, and I looked around, taking in the room. It was quaint, much different from the house I grew up in, but charming in its own way. Bella immediately headed up the stairs, pulling me along with her. "Mom, we're going to go get settled."

Renée's only response was to hum something after us. Bella led me to her childhood bedroom, and the first thing I noticed was the double bed. "You have a double bed in here?" I asked.

Bella flushed. "Yeah. My parents turned the room into a guest room after I moved out. Although, I think I'm their only regular overnight guest. Don't worry, though," she said, spotting the jealous look that crossed my features, "this bed hasn't seen any action but sleeping. And not even that in a long time."

"Good," I told her, giving her half a smile and turning away as I immediately regretted having asked about the bed. I was glad she responded the way she did, but hearing that made me think things that I rather wouldn't think. It was irrational; I knew I wasn't her first, but I still didn't relish the thought of her with other guys.

In an attempt to get my mind out of the gutter, I asked Bella a question. "So, what's the plan for the weekend? Do your parents have plans for us all weekend long, or are we going to be on our own only seeing them in the evenings, or what?"

"I'm not sure," she hummed. "We'll make firmer plans tonight." She shrugged.

"Okay, fair enough. What about everything you need to tell them? When are you going to let them know? And in what order do you plan to dish out all these revelations?"

"I don't know, Edward; I haven't figured that out yet." She sat down on the bed and gazed up at me through her lashes. "What would you suggest?"

Sitting down next to her, I paused a moment to process her question. _What would I do?_

"Which news do you think will be easier for them to handle?"

"I have no idea; I don't think they'll be happy to hear any of it."

"Well, then, I suppose it might make it easier for them to understand your decision to move if you give them the baby news first. Explain to them that we want to be together, that we're going to raise our child together, and that you've already found a job in Illinois. They won't be able to argue with your decision to move when you make it clear that you've thought it out, that you want this baby, and have already made appropriate plans." As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I was suddenly second-guessing that advice. Perhaps the baby news was best left for after her other bombshell.

"That makes a lot of sense," she said. "I think if I approach it that way, you're right, they won't be able to argue with the choices I've made…that we've made." She reached up and stroked my jaw with her hand; I turned my face and kissed her palm.

I had to offer her my secondary thought; it wouldn't be right not to. "On the other hand, maybe let reason win out. Tell them the truth; that after what you went through last month, you're ready for a change of scenery."

"Hm. Two very convincing arguments, doctor."

"Regardless of which option you take, how sure you are, how much thought you've put into your decision, and how firmly logic is on your side, I just want to remind you that this is the first time they will be hearing about everything and that they will probably need some time to adjust to all your news. I'm worried that they're going to feel like you're choosing me over them."

"_Am_ I doing that?" She looked horrified at the thought.

"No. You're choosing what's best for you and our child." I reached out and lightly rubbed her stomach at the final two words. "Not to mention the fact that you don't want to continue working in the same office as Emmett, seeing him day in and day out."

"Oh, Edward, I don't know if I can do this after all," she moaned, dropping her head onto my chest.

"You can. You're strong, and your parents know that; they raised you to be this way. They have to know that, and once you explain everything, they'll understand. Even if they don't at first, they will eventually. And Bella, don't forget that you have me; you're not alone in this. If you need me to help you explain things to them, I will. I promise." I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, squeezing her close to me; I couldn't bring myself to remove my other hand from her belly, though.

A few deep breaths later, moving to the window to get some fresh air, and seeing her father's car pull up into the driveway, just knowing that he was here, and Bella regained her resolve. She knew what she wanted, and she wasn't going to let anyone, not even her parents, talk her out of it. I couldn't have been prouder of her.

x-x-x

It turned out that neither Renée nor Charlie—_Chief Swan_, I reminded myself; he hadn't offered me the right to call him by his given name, and as my elder, I wasn't going to disrespect him that way—was much of a cook. They admitted that they ate out more often than not since Bella had left home. So that's what we did that night; we ate out.

Bella was a nervous wreck the entire way to the restaurant in Port Angeles, an hour's drive from Forks. I remembered the town from our drive through earlier when we were going the other way; it seemed nice enough. Bigger than Forks, that was for sure. Her mom had invited us to ride in their car, but Bella had said she'd rather go in her truck than sit in the back seat. So, I drove us again, following her parents the whole way. She was fidgety, but didn't seem to want to talk, so I just drove silently holding her left hand still against my thigh. The rest of her body was in constant motion the whole time we drove.

We all entered the restaurant together and after we'd ordered, Chief Swan asked the money question, the one that I knew would open the floodgates. I don't think he expected the answer he was going to get from Bella; otherwise I was pretty sure he wouldn't have asked the question in the first place. "So, Bella, what's new in your life? You haven't been home to visit in months. We haven't seen you since we came to Seattle for…" he trailed off, realizing belatedly what he'd almost said.

"Well, Dad, that's actually the main reason I wanted to come visit you guys this weekend," Bella began, ignoring her father's near-blunder. "A lot has happened since that week." I rested my hand on her knee underneath the table, squeezing gently. She looked over at me, and though she looked nervous, she didn't look afraid anymore. _You can do this, _I tried to convey through my eyes and actions.

"Really, baby? What kind of stuff?" Renée asked. I hid a smirk, recognizing that her mother had the same pet name for Bella that I did.

"It's funny that you should call me that," Bella said, looking her mother directly in the eye. The waiter arrived then, placing plates in front of each of us. After he left, Bella seemed to have lost her nerve. She blurted out, "Edward and I are having a baby." _Okay, I guess she's not going to go with the gentle route._

The tension at the table was palpable. Her mother stared at her while her father glared at me. "What did you say?" Renée managed to choke out after what seemed like about an hour; we had all forgotten about the food.

"I'm pregnant, Mom. I'm sorry," Bella said, tears welling up in her eyes. She looked so ashamed.

"And this is thanks to you?" Chief Swan said, looking directly at me, his face still stuck in that stony glare.

I cleared my throat and said, "Yes, sir. We didn't mean for this to happen, I assure you, but now that it has we…"

I'd intended to say more, but he cut me off. "I should hope not. It's only been, what, three or four weeks since she was supposed to have married that other guy?" I couldn't remember ever seeing anyone glower so fiercely at anyone else as he was glaring at me right now. Luckily for me, he turned his gaze to Bella, and his expression softened slightly. "That's not very much time to have moved on, much less gotten pregnant and already know it, Bells." He was looking at his daughter now, who looked like she was silently wishing for the ground to swallow her up.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," she whispered. I kind of wished she'd quit apologizing for this. I understood that we hadn't planned it, but what was done was done, and Bella and I had already decided our course of action together. Apologizing wasn't going to change anything. Besides, she was twenty-six, almost twenty-seven years old and a successful lawyer. It wasn't like she was living under their roof, still in high school, and springing this news on them. A tiny part of me thought that perhaps she was apologizing more to herself for this whole situation than to them. I knew she was still beating herself up over what had happened when we'd met with Emmett and Rose earlier in the week, the thought that she wasn't one hundred percent sure which of us was the father. I wondered how many times of me telling her that I didn't care about the genetics it would take before she believed me. I wanted to be with Bella, and I wanted to raise _my_ child—and future children—with her. That was all there was to it.

"Bella, please stop; you don't need to apologize anymore," I told her, voicing my thoughts. I hoped she would understand the double meaning in my words, that she shouldn't apologize to her parents and that she would relax and understand that I was serious about everything; she shouldn't feel the need to apologize to me or to herself, either. "For one thing, it won't change anything, and for another, we've already made our decisions together, remember?" My voice was quiet and sincere, having forgotten momentarily that we weren't alone.

"Yeah, you're right, Edward," she murmured, placing her hand on top of mine, which was still on her knee.

"What _decisions_ is he talking about, Bella?" her father asked coldly.

"We want to be together, and we want to have our baby and raise him or her together," she said, tearing her gaze from mine and facing her parents again. "Edward and I are going to live together."

"But doesn't he live in Chicago?" her mother asked.

"Yes," Bella responded.

"So how are you going to be together?"

"Okay, before I tell you, I want you guys to know that this has been the hardest decision I've ever made in my life. Seriously, the most difficult _ever_." Her parents were looking at her with rapt attention. She continued. "I'm moving to Chicago to be with Edward. And before you try to convince me otherwise, I need you to know that you're not going to change my mind. I've handed in my resignation at ACU; I'll finish working there by the end of the month. Then I won't have to work in the same office as Emmett anymore. I need to get away from all the baggage I've got in Seattle."

"Oh, Bella, but you love your job. And jobs are hard to come by these days; I mean, I'm glad you won't have to see _him_ anymore, but are you sure just flat out quitting was the right thing to do?" her mother pleaded.

"I had to, Mom. I really couldn't stand bumping into Em all the time. Even now, I feel like a prisoner in my own office; I dread walking the hallways at work, so I just don't most of the time. I realized what I have with Edward, and decided that a clean break would be best. You don't have to worry about me finding a new job, either; I already have. My boss, Mr. Ateara, declined my resignation, and offered the opportunity to transfer to the Wheaton office instead of quitting; I'll keep the same position I held in Seattle. I accepted. So, I won't be out of work. I start at ACU-Wheaton as soon as I move. I've got approval to start immediately."

I decided now was probably as good a time as any to let her know about my grandfather's last words. "Actually, baby, we're not going to be living in the city for long; I mean, we still need to talk about it, but…"

She cast a wondering glance at me. "What do you mean?"

"I haven't told you this yet, but my grandfather was quite smitten with you himself. When I was visiting him in the hospital, right before he passed away," my voice broke at those words; it was still hard for me to believe that he was gone, "he told me that he was leaving his house—and much more—to me. Well, to us. He was very clear that he expected you to share it with me. You remember the house, right? The one in Stone Park that you loved?"

Bella's chocolate eyes widened in disbelief. She didn't have an opportunity to voice her thoughts just then, though.

"Now just a damn minute!" Charlie bellowed. His stony glare was back, and directed wholly at me. "Let me get this straight. You are going to take my daughter and grandchild, move them halfway across the country to live with you in your deceased grandfather's house somewhere outside Chicago? How are you going to support them? Bella won't be able to work, at least for awhile, after she has this baby."

Several of the occupants of the nearby tables turned to look at us. Bella blushed a violent shade of red, and Renée chastised her husband. "Keep your voice down. Yelling is not going to help this situation at all, Charlie."

His concerns were valid, though, so I addressed them right away. "I'm a doctor, sir, and more than capable of taking care of Bella and _our_ baby," I emphasized our joint commitment to each other and our growing family, "even if she decided she didn't want to return to work at all after the child is born." I chanced a look in Bella's direction and saw shock written all over her face. I spoke only to her next. "I would never begrudge you going back to work, either, though. I know how hard you've worked to get through law school and pass the bar, and how much you love being a lawyer."

"You've known this guy for, what, not even a month? And you're ready to move three thousand miles away from your home, your _family_, to be with him?" Charlie said, his voice still firm, but much quieter. He was shooting daggers at me while he spoke.

"No, Daddy. It's much more than that. I've known Edward most of my life. Alice was the one who pointed out to me that we've been courting through all those letters over the years. It just took something horrible in my own life for me to realize that Edward was always there for me; that he's the one for me. And also, Illinois is only two thousand miles away." I was so proud of her for holding her ground. She was saying all the right things, and I could see Charlie's resolve beginning to flounder.

"Honestly, Bella, two thousand miles versus three thousand miles doesn't really matter. The point is that you won't be within driving distance anymore." I saw an emotion other than anger in his face for the first time since we'd started this conversation. His eyes looked like they were slightly misty.

"I think we're forgetting the most important part of all this," Renée piped up. "What are you going to do about this baby? Surely you're not going to raise a baby in the city? And all alone?" She said this as if nothing we'd talked about thus far had sunk in; she didn't seem to get that her daughter, grandchild, and I were going to be together, that _we_ would be a family.

"I won't be alone, Mother. That's the point of moving; I'll be with Edward. I'd only be alone if I stayed," Bella said, a hint of petulance in her voice.

"The three of us will be together in the house in Stone Park," I added, "assuming Bella wants to give up the apartment we've got in Chicago." I looked over at Bella, she smiled and nodded. "So, we'll be living in Stone Park, which is about half an hour from downtown Chicago; it's pretty much equidistant between my job and Bella's new job. And it's small; there are fewer than five thousand residents. It's perfect, really; you get the charm of small-town life but the convenience of having the city only half an hour away."

"Well, isn't that lucky," Charlie muttered. Everyone ignored him.

"And the three of us won't be alone, either; Edward's parents are right in Chicago, and of course we'll want you to visit as often as you can, and we'll come back here when we can."

"It sounds like you've thought this through," Renée said.

"We have, Mom. Really and truly."

"Well, I can't say that I'm thrilled, but I believe you when you say that this has been a difficult decision. I also know that you're just like your dad." She nudged Charlie in the ribs with her elbow when she said this. "Now that you've made the decision, no one and nothing is going to change your mind. So it's our job as parents to be happy for you. You're a big girl, Bella, and you have to make the decision that's best for you. If this is it, then you have our blessing." The chief shifted uncomfortably in his chair as his wife spoke, but didn't add anything more.

I was stunned into silence. I had been expecting a reaction more like the one her father had had than like the one her mother had had. I was glad that her mother was already on board, though. Maybe she could help convince Charlie that this would be okay after all.

"I'm still not happy about this, Bella," Charlie said after several minutes of silence. "But your mother's right. I know I won't be able to change your mind, so I may as well get over it and support you. I know that'll be the way to keep you coming around when you're not around anymore."

"Thank you, Mom, Dad," Bella said, as she started to cry again. I reached my arm up and draped it across the back of her chair, resting my hand on her shoulder and pulling her a little closer to me. She turned her face to look up at me; I gave her a reassuring smile and kissed her forehead before returning my attention to my plate. With the hardest part of the weekend over, we all ate our now-cold dinners in silence.

x-x-x

Before everyone turned in for the night, Charlie invited me to go fishing with him the following morning. Not wanting to risk upsetting him any further after the news that I was 'stealing' his daughter away, I accepted his invitation.

Once we were out on the river in his boat, the grand inquisition started. "What are your plans for my daughter, Dr. Cullen?" he asked.

"Well, sir, I love your daughter, more than I ever thought it was possible for one person to love another. It's hard to explain, but I assure you, I have only the best intentions for Bella and the baby."

"That was just mushy girly stuff," he chastised me. "My question was what are your plans for her?"

"I know what you're asking, and let me tell you that I want to marry your daughter very much. In fact, there's nothing I want more than to call Bella my wife and to be her husband, but I'm not willing to bring that up to her just yet. It's too soon after the fiasco that was supposed to have been her wedding. Although, if she hadn't had such a poor experience with weddings recently, I'd propose today. I want to be with her, sir, forever. Make no mistake about that. But when I do propose, I want her to say yes, so I'll wait for now. I'm sure you understand."

"I do. And though I don't approve of what you've done to her, I know that you're right; she'd probably tell you no if you asked her now. It is too soon, for Bella anyway." I breathed a silent sigh of relief that he wasn't going to try to force Bella and me into a shotgun wedding. I would've done it, and happily, but I think Bella would have had a different view on the whole thing. I chose to ignore his 'what I did to her' comment. I didn't need to remind him that Bella had been a willing participant during both of our encounters. Frankly, the number of encounters was also something he didn't need to know, either.

"I'm glad you agree, sir," I said.

"How long have you been a doctor?" he asked, changing the subject abruptly.

"I graduated from medical school four years ago, and finished my residency last summer. I've been working in a family care clinic for the past year."

"Family doctor, huh?"

"Yes, sir."

"I guess you're probably better prepared to take care of a baby than most people, then."

I chuckled. "Probably, sir."

"Alright, fine, you have my blessing. I'm still not happy about the whole moving-to-Illinois business, but I can see that you're a good guy. I've been wrong before, though. I thought Emmett was going to give my Bella the world, and all he gave her was a broken heart. You make sure you don't break her, too, or I will come after you, doctor."

"I have no intentions of hurting her, Chief Swan, I promise you that. I love your daughter, and while we weren't planning on starting a family right now, I'm frankly thrilled that Bella and I are having a baby."

Charlie harrumphed and nodded, effectively ending the 'mushy girly' conversation. I was only too happy to oblige that particular silent request.

x-x-x

After a late dinner of fried fish that Charlie had caught (I'd been pathetically sub-par on the boat) and Bella cooked, everyone went to bed. As Bella and I were lying on the bed in her childhood room facing each other, she whispered to me, "So, fishing, huh? I didn't really envision you as that kind of guy."

"I'm normally not," I said. "But after the fireworks last night, I figured I needed to go with him more for the conversation that I knew needed to happen more than the activity. In other words, I had to make your father like me."

"And how did that go?"

"Didn't you notice a change in his demeanor over dinner?" I had hoped that his fresh attitude would have been enough for her to have relaxed into her decision.

"I did. I just wondered what you guys talked about."

"He just had a few questions for me. Nothing I couldn't handle."

"Hm," she hummed. "It sounds like you're hiding something."

"Not at all," I told her. "Just the normal stuff a father would want to know. He's a little nervous about your decision, of course. And he just wondered what my plans with you are."

"Really? And what did you tell him?" She sounded interested in the answer to that particular question.

"The truth." She scowled into my chest, obviously not satisfied with such a simple answer. I laughed gently and said, "I promised him that I wouldn't hurt you like Emmett did. And I assured him that I'm in this for the long haul." I stroked her face tenderly.

"I like the sound of that," she said, yawning.

"Me, too. For now, though, just sleep, love."

"Mm, sleep does sound good." She rolled over so that her back was now pressed into my chest. I held her securely, and I couldn't help but rub her stomach as she drifted off.

As I lay there, holding her close and watching her sleep, my physical needs took over and I knew I'd need a trip to the restroom before I'd be able to sleep. I carefully unwrapped my arms from around Bella and stepped carefully from the bed, making sure not to jostle her. I walked down the stairs to where the bathroom was, and paused in the living room when I noticed a figure lying on the couch. Curious, I stepped over, wondering what was going on. No sooner had I approached the sofa than I was met by the tired expression gracing Charlie Swan's face.

"Evening," he said.

"Evening," I returned the greeting. I had no idea what was going on. Why he was sleeping on the couch? Why wasn't he sleeping in his bed with his wife?

"It's not what it looks like," he chuckled, acknowledging my questioning look. "I just couldn't sleep, I was tossing and turning all over the bed and I didn't want to wake Renée. Have a seat," he added, gesturing the recliner behind me. I sat, and Charlie continued speaking. "Do you mind talking to an old man for a few minutes?"

"Of course not; although you're a far cry from old," I told him.

"I've got to tell you, Edward, I wasn't lying when I gave you my blessing this morning out on the river, but I just can't get over the worry in my heart."

"I'm not entirely sure I follow you," I said.

"Bella's my baby," he told me. "I hate seeing her hurt like she was a few weeks ago. And now, the very next time I see her after she suffered from that hurt, she's got two huge life changes she's telling me about. Surely you can appreciate the dismay I felt when she sprang that on us in the restaurant."

I didn't know what to say, so I settled on, "Bella loves you, sir. She doesn't want to move away from you, I promise you that. Leaving you and Renée behind is something she hates doing. Her decision came from a need to get away from her ex."

"And I understand that," he assured me. "I can support it, even. What I worry about is not being able to protect her anymore. Of course, I didn't do very well saving her from _him_, did I?" I couldn't tell him that he was wrong, because he wasn't, but there was no way I was going to agree with him, either. So I remained silent. He seemed to know what I was thinking, for the next words out of his mouth were, "Put yourself in my position. Imagine your child," he said, nodding toward the stairs when he said that, reminding me that said child was not hypothetical, "coming to you with the news Bella brought to us yesterday. How would you react to that?"

Suddenly, I got it. I fully understood his sorrow. I leaned back in the chair and processed his words. They made my chest ache. "I'd be devastated," I murmured.

"So you see where I am now, then."

"I'm sorry," I told him. "I had no idea. I get it now, though. I don't want to take her away from you."

"I wouldn't go that far," he said, sitting up on the sofa. "If you try to change her mind now, she's just going to be upset with you. And we don't want that. I can see how committed to my daughter you are, son, and that's what makes it okay. I can tell that you're good for her. She's glowing now, for the first time. Before, when she brought him home to meet us, she smiled and looked happy, but she's different now. It's hard to explain."

I'd heard the description before, though. "She seemed happy before, but now she really is happy."

"Yes! Exactly," he said. "You need to keep her happy, Edward. I need you to promise me that you'll do everything in your power to keep her happy."

"I promise. Thank you, sir, for sharing your position with me. I'm glad to understand better where you're coming from."

"Thanks for listening and not just brushing my concerns under the rug. Call me Charlie, by the way. You've earned it."

"Charlie." I nodded.

"Can I ask you a question now?"

"Yes, sir."

"Bella was supposed to have married Emmett three weeks ago; where do you fit into all of this?"

"Ah," I said, leaning back in the armchair and running my hands through my hair. "Bella assures me that she's told you the story behind what happened with Emmett, is that true?"

"Yeah," he said, and the look of distaste on his face made me silently vow to never get on his bad side.

I proceeded to explain to him everything, from the letter I'd sent Bella by mistake to her falling into my hotel room that night to Jasper and Alice's 'dating theory.' "I think she needed to have something like that happen to her in order to see that she wasn't any happier with him than he was with her. I hated seeing her hurt, but in some morbid way, I'm glad it happened," I concluded.

"I wasn't kidding when I told you not to hurt her the way he did, though," Charlie reiterated. "If my baby gets hurt again, I'm holding you personally responsible."

"I'll let you," I promised. "I should get back to bed."

"Alright. Good night, Edward."

"'Night, Charlie. Thanks for the chat."

He nodded, and I left, stopping in the bathroom on my way back to Bella.

**Thanks for reading. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts. **


	19. Together Again

**A/N: Just the normal stuff: **

**I don't own **_**Twilight**_**. **

**Special thanks to my friends, Gerri (super beta extraordinaire) and Rory (the best pre-reader a girl could hope for), for making my story look like a super hero with their beautiful red and blue correction marks :). Extra thanks to Rory, you know why, and I'll respect your wishes by leaving it at that. I owe you big time!**

**And of course, thanks to you, for reading.**

**Thanks especially to you who review. Just hit 200 reviews this week, so yay to you guys! Thanks, and keep 'em coming! **

**A very happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian readers. I hope your holiday is fabulous!**

**Another long chapter; I'm sure you can guess what that means ;). **

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

**Bella**

Before I knew it, the day had come and gone, and I was hugging my parents good bye. It was an emotional time for me, because I honestly wasn't sure when the next time would be that I'd see them again. I didn't think we'd make it back again before I moved. They seemed to understand, as much as could be expected anyway, and while our departure was tear-filled, there was none of the anger that had been spilled two nights before. "I'll miss you, Bells," my dad said, hugging me close. He had never been one for expressing emotions, so I was surprised when I pulled away and saw that his eyes were red-rimmed. That set me off, and my tears began to flood my face. Again.

"I'll miss you, too, Dad. I love you so much. You have to come visit us sometime, soon."

"We will, sweetheart. I love you, too."

I hugged my mom next, and she was as much a wreck as I was. I wrapped my arms around her and pressed my cheek to hers, allowing our tears to mingle. "I miss you already," she sobbed.

"It'll be okay, Mom," I said, trying—with only moderate success—to slow my own tears down. "We'll come here for Thanksgiving and you can come visit us for Christmas and New Year's. If I counted the calendar correctly, the baby should be here in mid-March, and you can come then, too."

"But how am I going to manage without you for four months?" My mother was wailing now. Actually wailing. Which for some reason, instead of breaking me down further, brought me to my senses.

"Mom. Listen to me; we frequently go that long between visits _now_. It won't be that different than it has been. We just have to make a point of scheduling our visits in advance because we will be flying instead of driving. Plus, we'll still talk on the phone and email and stuff just like we've always done."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," she replied, releasing me and wiping her face with her fingers.

"I love you," I told her.

"I love you, too, sweetie. If you need anything between now and when you leave, just call and we'll be there."

"Thanks, Mom." Edward had been waiting patiently while I said my good-byes, and I turned to him now. "We should go," I said quietly.

"Not so fast," my mother said. "I need a hug from you, too," she told Edward. He smiled at her, and didn't look at all ashamed or embarrassed as he reached his arms around her shoulders. He looked like he was actually happy that he hadn't been left out of the family.

When they parted, my father stepped up. "Do you remember what you said last night? The morbid comment?"

"Yes, I do."

"Well, I'm glad, too." My dad took Edward's hand in his and shook it in what looked more like a professional manner than a loving one, but that was Charlie. I knew he was doing his best. I had no idea what they were talking about; what was the _morbid comment?_ I'd have to ask Edward later. "Take care of them," he said to Edward.

"I will, sir. I promise."

"Good man," Charlie said, nodding.

Edward turned back to me. "Are you ready?" he asked gently.

Feeling kind of like Dorothy in _The Wizard of Oz, _I said, "Yes, I'm ready." All I needed was to click my heels together and mutter '_There's no place like home' _three times. Of course, for me, it wasn't that easy. Dorothy had been on her way _back_ to her family; I was leaving mine to start a new one with Edward. And as much as I knew that this was exactly what I wanted, I still felt this kind of hollow feeling in my chest as I reached for Edward—my lifeline—and he took my hand, leading me back to the truck. I turned and waved to my parents one last time as I climbed in and Edward took the driver's seat this time, and then we were off, leaving my parents behind.

As he merged the truck onto the highway out of town, I leaned my head back against the seat and allowed my eyes to lose focus; I wasn't sleepy, I was just reflecting back on the day that I'd shared with Edward. My dad had gone fishing again, which was perfectly normal. Though I never doubted his love for me or my mother, he also had a special relationship with his fishing boat, and it was rare, especially in the summer, for him to go a Sunday without spending at least a few hours out on the river. Uncharacteristically, however, my mother had joined him today. I had a sneaking suspicion that they wanted to talk about me, but were uncomfortable doing so in the house while I was there. So, with the two of them gone, I'd been free to show Edward my tiny hometown.

~X~

Our first stop had been the high school, which in itself wasn't that exciting, especially on a Sunday during summer break, but there was one window in particular I'd wanted him to look through. I pulled into the vacant lot and parked close to the buildings. "This is where I went to school," I said.

"You're kidding. This is a California campus. Why is there a multi-building campus in northern Washington with all the rain you get here?" he laughed.

"I know, right?" I laughed along with him, remembering the dozens of times I'd had to run from building to building, trying not to get too wet. "It really was poor planning, but it kept life interesting." We walked through the courtyard hand-in-hand, and I pointed through several of the windows, remembering funny things that had happened to me during those four years. I told him stories of avoiding the prom at all costs, regardless of the countless numbers of guys who asked me. Even now, looking back, I didn't get it. I was just plain old Bella, but somehow I was never without potential suitors. I pointed out the gym, and told him the story of the day I'd somehow managed to hit my badminton partner in the head _and_ the back with my racket. Simultaneously. I blushed just at the memory of poor Mike Newton limping his way to the nurse's office after that. Remembering all of the things that happened to me back then gave me an inspiration. "Let's hit the middle school real quick," I told him. He looked at me with a slightly puzzled expression, but there was one window in particular I wanted him to look through.

"Okay," he agreed.

The middle school was just a few blocks from the high school—_well, everything is just a few blocks from the high school_, I thought sarcastically—so it was a quick walk over there. It was too nice a day to drive such a short distance. When we got there, I found the window I wanted quickly.

"See that desk?" I said, pointing to the one in the back corner closest to us.

"Yeah," he replied.

"_That_ is where I was sitting when I read your very first letter to me."

"That desk?"

"Yep. Well, that spot, anyway. I suppose it's possible that the desk isn't exactly the same one, but Mrs. Cope was always one for consistency. Rumor has it she never changed the setup of the classroom in the twenty years before I was in her class, and looking in there now, I can see now that it hasn't changed in the nine years since I've graduated, either."

"That is…awesome. Thank you for showing me this. It's like a little piece of our history, right here in this tiny high school." He was standing behind me, and when he said this, he wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder, gently rubbing my belly. He'd started doing that yesterday, and I actually kind of liked it. It was sweet, like he was silently greeting the baby, too. Our baby. It probably looked like a tiny blob of cells right now, but the thought of what it would become was something…almost magical.

"It is, huh?" I said, referring to both his assessment of 'our history' and my internal thoughts of the magic we'd created together.

"Yeah. Do you by any chance still have that letter?"

I remembered that he hadn't heard my internal monologue, so I very deliberately pulled myself back to him, and thought for a moment, trying to remember what had happened to the old letters. I knew I hadn't thrown any of them away, but I didn't know offhand where they were. "I'm pretty sure all of your letters are still at my parents' house somewhere. Maybe we can look for them this afternoon, after we see the rest of the town. I know I didn't throw them away, but I don't remember exactly where I've put them."

His eyes seemed to light up at the possibility of seeing his old letters again. "You know, I've still got all of your old letters, too," he confessed. I looked up at him in awe. That was so…un-guy-like, to keep old letters. "Maybe we could recreate the thread when we get home."

"That would definitely be interesting," I agreed, turning in his arms and kissing the corner of his mouth.

We left the school and drove through town, with me pointing out various places around town that had specific meaning to me, starting with the diner where I'd worked. "That's where I learned to cook. My parents were glad when I did, too. Groceries are cheaper than restaurants," I giggled at the memory of how pleased my mom was the first time I asked if I could cook dinner for them.

"Who's the owner of the diner?" he asked.

"It used to be Mr. and Mrs. Marks. Their son Austin was in my class. I'm not sure whether they still own it or if they've sold it. Why?"

"I do believe I owe the Markses a thank you card," he replied with a gleam in his eye.

I just blushed. We drove on, and I pointed out the grocery store where I shopped, sometimes with my mom, sometimes alone, and moved on to Newtons' sporting goods store where I'd actually applied for a job before I got hired at the diner. "You actually wanted to work in a sporting goods store?" He sounded skeptical.

"Well, I didn't _want_ to, but I was sixteen and I wanted some independence from my parents. I wanted a paycheck," I said, shrugging. "It ended up being a moot point, because I got the diner job instead."

Driving back through town the other direction now, I pointed out the 'formal dining' place, the Lodge. "That's where we ate for special occasions, my high school graduation, birthdays, my parents' anniversaries, stuff like that."

"It looks…nice," he said, not sounding very convincing in his praise of the restaurant. He was right, though. It looked like its name.

I laughed at his reaction. "It actually is pretty good," I told him. "The diner's more a bacon-pancakes-and-eggs kind of place, while the Lodge is more a steak-and-baked-potatoes place. They've got killer burgers, too. In fact," I said, looking at my watch, "it's about lunchtime, and I'm actually kind of hungry." I looked at him pointedly so that he would understand the point of what I was suggesting.

When we'd finished eating, he admitted that the food was better than he'd expected it would be based on its outside appearance. "Never judge a book by its cover," I teased after his admission.

"Touché, Miss Swan," he said as he placed his hand on the small of my back and led me out the door.

We went back to my parents' house after lunch, and I scoured the bedroom looking for the box of old letters. I finally found it on the top shelf in the closet. "Do you want to read them now or later?" I asked him.

"Let's save them until we get home and can see both sets together," he suggested. I nodded with a shy smile.

~X~

"Are you okay, Bella? You've been really quiet ever since we left," Edward finally said, breaking through my daydream.

My thoughts quickly reverted back to the present and I looked over at him and smiled. I unbuckled my seat belt and scooted to the middle seat, then buckled myself in there, closer to him. "Fantastic," I told him, resting my left hand on his thigh and my head on his shoulder. "I was just thinking back to the great day we had together today."

"Ah. Yes, it was a pleasant day. Thank you for allowing me to share it with you."

x-x-x

A week later, the apartment was about ninety percent empty and we'd shipped my 'keep' boxes to Chicago. They should be waiting for us when we got there. The indigent case I'd been assigned was coming along nicely, though it wasn't settled quite yet. I didn't expect there to be any problems with finishing it before it was time to leave. Things were moving along exactly on schedule, and I'd probably be able to vacate the apartment and be ready to move within another week.

When I arrived back from the office one night mid-week, Edward was waiting for me. "How quickly can you be ready? I'm taking you out tonight," he said with conviction as he removed my messenger bag and purse from my shoulder and set them on a nearby chair with one hand and with the other he took one of mine and twirled me around until I was once again facing him, in his arms and nestled against his chest.

"Okay." I giggled as I reached up and kissed him. I was all for it actually, and not just because I didn't have any dishes left here. I felt like life had been so busy recently that we hadn't spent enough time talking. Getting away from the apartment where there was the constant inclination to just finish packing it up would be a good idea in order to spend quality time together.

Once we were seated at the restaurant, Edward took both of my hands in his across the small table, rubbing his thumbs gently across my knuckles. "My boss called today; he was wondering when I'll be back," he started.

My heart skipped a beat. I'd gotten so accustomed to having him around that I'd almost forgotten that Edward had a job back in Illinois. I managed to choke out, "What did you tell him?"

"I told him that I needed to talk to you and get your schedule, and that I'd let him know tomorrow."

I breathed a sigh of relief. Edward wasn't leaving me.

"So, I'm not trying to rush you, but do you have a timeline yet of when you'll be ready to go? Don't worry about the apartment; I'll take care of the rest of that, but as far as your job. Any idea there?"

"I'm not sure. Another week maybe? I've just got this one last case to settle, and then I'll need to pack up my desk. Is that too long?"

"No, that's fine. I'll let Dr. Snow know that I'll be back to work in a week and a half or so then." He looked down at our intertwined fingers, tracing circular patterns on the back of my hand with his thumb.

"You're sure that's not too long? I can talk to Mr. Ateara and try to get my case reassigned and we can power through finishing up the apartment. We could probably leave by the weekend if we had to."

"You'd really do that for me? Push your entire time frame up by a whole week?"

"I'd do anything for you. You should know that by now. Everything we do, we do together. We're starting a family; I understand that it's going to require a lot of give and take. So far, you're the only one giving. I've been here, just going about my life, leaving you to take time off of work, pack up my apartment, and…"

"Hey, hey, hey," he cut me off. "You're kidding, right? You are giving plenty." I looked at him, unconvinced. "You are not only carrying our child, you are sacrificing so much to be with me; you're moving cross-country for crying out loud! I will never take that sacrifice for granted, I promise you that."

"I guess I never really saw it that way," I murmured. "But you're right; I'm pretty darn terrific when you put it that way." He smirked in return to my own.

"And you're humble, too," he teased, laughing. "But seriously, whether you saw it or not, that's what you're doing, and I love you even more for it."

I blushed and sat silently, not knowing what else to say.

The waiter brought our food and we ate in a comfortable silence; when we'd finished, we paid and left, then went back to the apartment. When we got there, we sat on my couch, cuddling close together and looking around the nearly-empty room.

"So, of what's left, what do you want to bring, and do you have plans for the rest?" he asked after several minutes of simply holding me close.

"Well, we won't really need my furniture, will we?" I mused, processing his question.

"I have furniture, yes," he said, not really answering the question directly. He went on, "But of course, if there's anything you don't want to give up, you should bring it."

I looked around the room, and did a mental inventory of what was left. "I don't think there's anything here that I can't live without," I said slowly, thoughtfully. "The rest of my clothes will need to come, of course, but other than that, we can probably just donate the rest. It's too late to organize a garage sale, so Goodwill is probably the easiest option for the timeline we're working with."

"Okay," he nodded. "I'll take care of the rest while you're working over the next couple of days. I assume you want to bring your truck?"

Of course I wanted to bring my truck. How else would I get to and from work otherwise? "Yes, please," I said instead of the childish remarks that had played in my head.

"Great," he mumbled. I looked up at him then and I thought I saw him roll his eyes, but I hadn't looked up quite fast enough to be sure. _I must have been mistaken_, I thought. "We'll drive it from here when we leave, hopefully this weekend." He smiled at me reassuringly as he kissed my forehead. I sighed happily and rested my head on his shoulder.

Then I remembered something, my father's comment from the day we left. It had been over a week, and I'd forgotten until just now, but now that I remembered, I was desperate with curiosity. "What was the morbid comment my dad mentioned to you last week?"

He laughed once before saying, "You probably don't want to know."

"No, I do," I assured him. Although, with his statement that he didn't think I would want to know, I was suddenly having second thoughts. It was an unhealthy curiosity that helped me keep my resolve. I just couldn't let it go now that the thought had reentered my consciousness. I turned to look at him, mustering all the resolve I could to make sure he wouldn't be able to read the uncertainty in my face. "I really want to know," I petitioned him again.

"Okay, well, then, I'm not entirely sure I want to tell you," he hedged.

"Please?" I knew a slight hint of begging would break him down. It may not have been playing fair, but I really was wondering now.

As if he could read my mind, he said, "You don't play fair."

I just fluttered my eyelashes at him.

He closed his eyes and spoke quickly, as if he was ashamed of what he was about to say. "I told your dad that in some morbid way, I was glad Emmett dumped you. I hated to see you hurt, but if he hadn't done that, I wouldn't be with you now."

"Oh." I couldn't think of a more appropriate response. The 'oh' didn't feel quite adequate for his revelation, but I was stunned into near silence by his admission. I sat there, thinking for a moment, wondering if he had been right. Then I realized he had definitely been right, that it was kind of a macabre thought. But then the words of everyone around came back into my mind, _truly happy now_, and I somehow agreed with him. "That was morbid, but you're right, but I'm glad, too. What he did made me feel inadequate, like for some reason I wasn't good enough for him, but in a real twisted way it _is_ good that it happened because I'm much happier now with you." He smiled down at me and kissed my forehead.

"I'm glad you're happier now," he murmured.

"I wasn't in love with him, Edward. I realize that now. I feel _so_ much more for you."

"Well, you better." He laughed and hugged me close, kissing me on the top of my head.

I'm not really sure how long we held each other on my couch. I hadn't even realized that I'd fallen asleep until I woke in the comfort of my bed with Edward fast asleep, snuggled up close to me. I was lying on my side, angled in towards him, wearing only my blue button-up blouse and black lace matching bra and panties (my black pencil skirt was nowhere in sight), with my arms bent at my elbows and my hands tucked under my cheek. Edward was lying on his side as well, with his head on my pillow just above my own with one of his arms draped loosely around me. Looking over at him I couldn't help but smile as I realized my queen sized bed was virtually untouched; we were practically joined together taking up such a tiny space.

Waking up with Edward was the best. I felt so loved and protected and happy. This was what I had been missing in Chicago, when he'd had to work and had been up before me every day. I'd really gotten used to having him around the past week, and wondered if it would be the same when we were all moved in together and I was working in the mornings, too. Would I wake up in his arms or he in mine every day? I don't think I could ever tire of this. I peeked over at the digital clock; it was just about six, over an hour before I had to get up to get ready for work. Smiling and flexing my muscles carefully so that I wouldn't wake him, I moved one of my hands to rest against his belly and my head just a little so my forehead was leaning against his chest. I marveled at the sight of this beautiful, loving man wrapped around me. How did I ever get this lucky, to not only have him here in my bed, but to have his heart as well?

He smelled so good - kind of like sandalwood and Old Spice. I felt the slow rise and fall of his upper body through his red short-sleeve t-shirt as the air filled and left his lungs; it was the most relaxing feeling I could imagine. I listened to his heart beating and couldn't come up with a sound I'd rather hear.

My blissful morning abruptly came to an end, though, when a wave of nausea came crashing over me. I jumped out of the bed, clamped my hand over my mouth, and raced down the hall to the bathroom. I couldn't even make it the last four feet to the toilet; I barely made it to the sink as what was left in my stomach from last night's dinner came up. It was horrible. The only good thing about it was that I was alone. No one needed to see me like this.

I'd thought I was alone, anyway, until I felt strong, gentle hands pulling my hair back away from my now sweaty face. "You okay, love?" Edward asked quietly, caressing my face with the hand that wasn't holding my hair back.

"Ugh, go away, you shouldn't have to see this," I mumbled. I didn't really mean it, though. While I didn't like having him see me all gross and disgusting like this, I was glad he was helping me.

"Not likely," he whispered, kissing the hair on the back of my head. By this time, my stomach was empty, but I still couldn't stop the dry heaves.

Several minutes later, I was feeling better. I hated throwing up, and couldn't believe that I'd just done exactly that and with Edward watching, no less. Vomiting always made me cry, too, not from emotion, but just from the physical exertion. With my face practically dripping wet between the sweat and the tears, I turned around and placed my cheek against Edward's t-shirt covered chest. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

He stroked my hair lovingly, and said, "Don't worry about it, love. I'm glad to have been here to help you."

"The funny thing is I don't even feel sick anymore. I mean, I feel gross, but not _sick_. And it came on so suddenly." I really didn't understand it. I would've thought that such violent vomiting would have had some sort of pre-sickness symptoms.

"That's because you're not sick, Bella," he laughed gently, cupping my face in his hands and lifting my chin so that I was looking at him.

"I beg to differ," I said sarcastically, gesturing to the sink to prove my point.

"Welcome to being pregnant my love," he smiled. "You've just had your first bout with morning sickness."

"That's impossible. It's too soon for that, isn't it? It's only been, what, not even," I paused, thinking back and trying to count weeks. When I failed, I decided on a month counter instead. "Has it really been over a month since we did it?"

"A very _long_ month," I thought I heard him mutter. I couldn't be sure that I'd heard him correctly, but that's what it sounded like. "They start counting weeks by the first day of your last period," he explained in a normal tone. "So, if you're sure about that June fifth date, you're actually about," he paused, thinking, "six and a half to seven weeks along." He was better with the mental calendar than I was, apparently.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," I told him. It was, too. That made no sense. Obviously I wasn't pregnant when I had my period; that's _why_ I had had one.

He raised his hands in surrender and smirked at me. "I'm sorry, I don't make the rules, I just follow them." His hands dropped to my shoulders and continued. "They count it that way because most people have no idea exactly when conception happens. But it's pretty easy to know when your menstrual cycle started. It's simply for convenience that it's calculated that way."

I frowned. "I guess that makes sense." I hated being wrong, or at least feeling like I was. Being wrong was not an option when you were a lawyer. Confidence was key when talking to a judge or jury and it was hard to have confidence if you thought you were wrong. "Okay, well, I need a shower now," I said, stretching up to kiss him on the cheek. He tried to turn his face and kiss me on the mouth, but I sealed my lips tightly and mumbled through my tight lips, "Uh-uh. Not until I'm clean."

He smiled down at me, not offended by my actions once I'd explained them. "Alright. I'll make you some breakfast while you're in there. What do you feel like?"

I cocked my head when he said _what do you feel like?_ I knew he meant for food, but I had another thought. His _very long month_ remark from a few minutes ago replayed in my mind, and I couldn't help but wonder if he was subtly reminding me that it had been a long time since we had been together like that and he missed me. The fact of the matter was, I was missing him, too. I was ready to be close to him in _that_ way again and I could hardly contain my enthusiasm in telling him. "Well, first, I feel like brushing my teeth," I said. Then I stretched up onto my toes and whispered into his ear, "then I feel like _having you_ in the shower."

I smugly glanced up at his face to catch his reaction to my words and the look of shock that crossed his face initially was priceless, although it was quickly replaced with a smile that stretched from ear to ear. He then proceeded to pick me up off my feet, holding me firmly against his body with one arm around my back and the other around my hips, he spun us around, making me giggle at his eager reaction.

x-x-x

**Edward**

Holding Bella against my body, after hearing her tell me she was ready, that she _wants me_ now, right now, made me feel like the king of the world. I knew that sounded lame, but that was how I felt.

She felt so good in my arms, I really didn't want to set her down or let go of her ever again. She just felt so perfect there, like that's exactly where she belonged…where we both belonged. She felt so soft and firm in all the right places, I wondered idly _does she work out_? She must. Just then Bella started to squirm like she wanted me to release her; I began to loosen my grip and shift my hips away from her so as to not press my rather prominent bulge too roughly against her. I knew she could feel it though, how could she not? I started to lower her to the floor as she squirmed even more rubbing up against it. I wondered, _did she do that on purpose_? No, she wouldn't do that, would she? Bella was full on laughing now and I couldn't help but do the same. _I guess her rubbing was intentional._ Setting her down carefully, making sure she was steady on her feet, I turned to the sink and grabbed the toothpaste and removing the cap, I said, "You wanted to brush your teeth before _having me_ in the shower, eh?"

"Uh…hmm," she mumbled.

"Then get your lovely self over here, Miss Swan and make 'em gleam." I smirked at her, and gave her a light smack on her perfect butt. She squealed and jumped away from me and smiled as she pulled her shirt over her head and threw it on the floor, not bothering to undo the buttons first. Seeing her in her underwear was a sight to behold, with her porcelain white skin that looked so soft and perky round breasts that looked like little comfy pillows poking out above her rather see-through black bra. I'd always been partial to the black ones; they were so much sexier than their white counterparts and I especially felt that way seeing it on Bella's pale skin.

_Oh my God_, I almost forgot what I'm supposed to be doing here. I reached over to her and put one arm around her waist giving her side a light squeeze as I planted a chaste kiss on her beautiful mouth before she could turn her head away; I knew she wouldn't allow anything deeper until she was 'clean.' Then letting go of her I grabbed her toothbrush and mine in one hand to put the paste on them, which she quickly put a stop to, grabbing both brushes away from me and throwing them down onto the counter. Next she grabbed the paste from me and put a generous amount on her fingers and proceeded to put her fingers in her mouth rubbing them quickly against her teeth and then her tongue and leaning over to turn on the tap to get some water to rinse with, gargled and spit it out. I watched in amazement. She seemed to be even less patient than I was at this moment, which was incredibly difficult for me to wrap my mind around, because I was desperate for her. I would've had the patience for an actual toothbrush, though.

She looked up at me and smirked which I couldn't help but return. I wondered if she had any idea how adorable she looked right now. I noticed she had some toothpaste on her chin. "Here let me get that for you, you have a little toothpaste right here," I leaned in and pointed to the spot on her chin with one hand and placed my other one around her back and rested it on her hipbone, grazing her pretty derrière along the way. She was still smiling as she looked up at me and I leaned in and kissed her chin; while I was there, I licked up the tangy cinnamon flavored toothpaste with one slow swipe of my tongue. "Mmmm, Bella with a hint of cinnamon. Delicious," I gave her my endorsement.

"So you enjoyed my toothpaste there, did you Dr. Cullen?" she muttered suggestively.

"Oh, you have no idea." I turned then and walked the few steps to get to the shower and turned it on so it would heat up for us and when I turned back around to return to Bella, she had the tube of toothpaste clenched in her hand and a mischievous gleam in her eye. I knew she was up to no good. So I quickly jumped over to her and put one of my arms around her waist from behind, securing one of her hands in mine against her side as I turned her to face me with the intention of restraining her little body against me and with the other hand I tried to grab the tube of paste from her. But she was too fast for me and proceeded to squirt what seemed like half the tube into my mouth and then threw it back into the sink. At this point we were both laughing so hard and doubling over with pains in our sides and my eyes were watering.

"Oh, I am so going to get you for this little stunt just as soon as I get this toothpaste out of my mouth," I slurred out around the mouthful of paste, trying not to swallow any of it; fluoride poisoning didn't really fit into my plans for the day. Just as I moved to spit in the sink, she squirmed out of my grasp.

"Okay, _Doctor_, it's your turn," she said between giggles. "Brush your teeth, I want you to make sure you're _fresh_ enough for me," she teased.

I turned and watched as Bella headed for the now steamy shower, giving me the most delicious show as she did; undoing the clasp of her bra and removing it, tossing it over her shoulder and hitting me right in my face with it, and then reaching for her panties and yanking them down her long, luscious legs and stepping out of them as she continued to wiggle her cute little fanny the whole way. She stopped just before stepping into the steam and looked back at me over her shoulder, turning slightly towards me and giving me a slight view of one of her beautiful breasts, she smiled the most glorious smile at me then like she was saying _hurry up, I'm waiting for you_; her face was all rosy from our exerted play. _Gorgeous, just gorgeous_, I thought.

I turned to face the sink to spit some more of the toothpaste out and then ran my pointer finger across my teeth and tongue with the remaining cinnamon gel in my mouth. I grabbed the cup and filled it partway with water, turning off the tap, swishing around a giant mouthful of water and then spitting it out with as much speed as I could muster.

_Okay, take a deep breath ,Cullen_, I instructed myself, _you need to slow things down, breathe in… breath out, or this is going to be over far too fast._ I had waited too long for that to happen. _Yeah, almost five long weeks, _I recalled. I took another deep breath in and out to calm my rapidly beating heart; it seemed to work this time. I pulled my t-shirt over my head and discarded my black boxer-briefs leaving them with Bella's along the floor like bread crumbs leading the way to my sweet Bella.

I stepped lightly into the shower, shutting the glass door behind me and I was blown away by the sight before me. There was my beauty, turned in my direction and she looked so perfect, so young and innocent, and so happy too, just smiling up at me, that I couldn't help but smile in return. She was glistening like glass from being soaking wet standing under the cascading spray from the gigantic sized rain-showerhead. I took a step over to her, and put both of my hands on her shoulders rubbing my thumbs gently across her clavicles, first in one direction then in the other. Bella put her hands on my hips so lightly that I could barely feel them but her touch sent that notorious tingling sensation throughout my body.

Neither of us said anything at first, like we were under a spell and I suppose we were... a lover's spell. I pulled her against me and wrapped my arms around her, as she ran hers up and down my spine and rested her cheek against my chest. I just rocked us both back and forth under the water for a time just enjoying the feeling of being so close. I pulled her out of the way of the showerhead and eased away from her a bit to grab her bottle of shampoo, removing the cap and stopping to smell the contents once again because it always reminds me of Bella… her scent; she must use it every day.

"Hmm, vanilla and strawberry, smells just like you. I love it." I leaned in and kissed her, just because I could. "Turn around Bella, so I can wash your hair," I requested.

"Okay," she agreed shyly. _Oh,_ _there she is; my delicate Bella is back_.

I put a generous amount of the delicious strawberry shampoo into my hand as she turned away from me and I reached for her beautiful long mahogany hair, running my fingers through it a few times from the top of her head to the tips, paying extra attention to her scalp. I just couldn't get enough of touching it, its soft and silky texture flowing so sweetly over my fingers.

"I really love your hair; I hope you always keep it long; it feels like silk."

"Thank you. That feels so good, you touching it," she cooed. She reached back and put her hands on me, one rubbing against my thigh and side and the other she braced herself on my hipbone.

I really had to concentrate on what I was doing and off where her hands were placed and her beautiful naked body inches away from mine. I rubbed her scalp a little more, which she seemed to enjoy as she opened her mouth to take in a breath and closed her eyes. I massaged the shampoo through her hair, watching the water and bubbles run down her body as I rinsed and followed that up with the conditioner which smelled exactly the same… glorious. With her hair clean, it was time to wash her beautiful body then, so I ran my hands down her arms and gave her wrists a squeeze before letting go and leaning in to whisper in her ear.

"Time to turn around for me, baby, so I can clean you, I want to make sure _you_ _are fresh for_ _me_," I repeated the words she'd teased me with earlier, giving her a half smile and the best devilish expression I could convey.

"Okay," Bella giggled, "as long as you agree to let me return the favor when you're done."

"Of course," I promised. I proceeded to poor a generous amount of liquid soap onto my hand deciding to forgo the use of the loofa-spongy-thingy I saw hanging from one of the knobs; I wanted to touch Bella without anything getting in the way. I smiled at her in response to her beaming smile and dabbed a drop of the soap on the tip of her nose, which she quickly wiped off. I leaned down and put a finger under her chin pushing her face up towards mine and kissed her beautiful full lips once, twice, three times before I pulled away. The soap was beginning to run out of the palm of my hand so I quickly rubbed it onto my other hand as well, creating a mound of suds, and ran both of them down the front of her body slowly from her shoulders, across her clavicles down her chest to her breasts, to _clean them_; tracing my fingers underneath to cup them gently in my hands rubbing my thumbs lightly over her very distended nipples and in circles around her rosy areolas. When I heard Bella moan in pleasure from my touch, I couldn't help but feel pleasure as well. Smiling at her reaction, I noticed her breasts were so soft and fit so nicely in my hands; I spent a little longer cleaning them before moving my hands down across her flat abdomen.

Bella reached her arm up to cross over her stomach just as I touched her there as if to hide it from me, but I recognized what she was doing and I wouldn't have it; she had nothing to be ashamed of and I was going to make sure she knew that. So I ran my fingers across her arm, the one she held around her middle until I got to her little hand and wrapped it in mine and slowly moved her arm down and rested her fingers against my hip. Letting go, I put my hand up against the wall by her shoulder, and leaning into her, I raised my other hand up and put my thumb under her chin, my fingers lightly grazing her jaw and cheek, I nudged her head up gently so I could look into her eyes, stopping first to give her a tender kiss and then I tried to convey how I felt with complete and total sincerity.

"Bella, please, no hiding from me. I think you look stunning, today, the day I met you, the day we first made love, and every day in between. You have no idea what you do to me. You aren't showing yet Bella, not even a little bit, but please believe me that even when you are, you'll still take my breath away, because you'll be carrying _our_ baby and I love you. So please, don't ever hide your beautiful body from me."

"Oh, Edward, I love you too." Bella wrapped her arms around my waist and I put mine around her back and we held each other for a moment. I kissed the top of her head and then stepped back reaching around me to take her hands in mine. "Now if you don't mind, where was I?" I murmured, reaching for some more shower gel and continuing to wash my sweet girl from her shoulders to her toes, front and back, and then she did the same for me, saving my behind for last. She was really getting to me to the point where I was seriously reconsidering my decision to wait.

When she had finished, I let her in on my plan. "I know you said you want to _have me_ in the shower, and believe me it has crossed my mind—and other regions—more than once, but if you don't mind, not today. At least not now." I reached down and turned the water off, then picked her up in my arms holding her to me wedding style. "We have plenty of time in the future for shower sex, but I have waited for you…"

"For _a very long month_," she smiled guiltily. "I really am sorry about that."

"No, don't be sorry. Don't ever be sorry for wanting to slow down; I don't regret it one iota, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat if you told me that's what you needed. I'm just so happy that you are ready _now_, that you _want me _as much as I want you and, as I was saying, we have plenty of time for having sex in showers, or on tables, or up against the wall, or in cars, or on the beach," I closed my eyes for a couple of seconds to refocus; taking Bella on a beach would be…amazing, "or wherever you want, but right now I want to make love to you properly, so I am taking you to bed."

"Okay, Edward," she said and then lowered her head against my chest, trying to suppress another giggle. "On tables, or up against walls, or…" I cut her off by putting my mouth over hers and planting a tender kiss. She giggled some more.

Still holding her in my arms, we exited the bathroom stopping only to grab a couple of big towels from the already-packed box in the hall; I carried her into her room and set her down carefully on the side of the bed. I started to dry her off, but she grabbed the towel from me and took over the task, first squeezing the excess water from her hair and then patting down her body. My eyes never left her for a moment as I watched her nipples harden from the combination of cool air and water dripping down her body from her still damp hair. I quickly rubbed my hair with the towel and patted down my body, running my fingers through my hair as I watched her, then I discarded my towel on the floor and took hers from her now outstretched hand.

I couldn't take my eyes off her or stand to be away from her for another second, so I went to her right away and kneeled down on the floor in front of her, moving her knees apart to make room for me between them. Taking one of her hands in mine and kissing her across her knuckles, I started to rub the top of one of her thighs gently with my other hand. Looking into her expressive, deep chocolate eyes, I leaned in and inhaled her glorious scent, vanilla and strawberry and cinnamon. Staring into her eyes, I couldn't help but think about just how perfect this moment was, finally we were together again, no baggage to get in the way this time, no distance between us. We were just us, bare and touching and I was about to come home.

I didn't want to wait any longer, but I wanted this to be more for her than for myself. I let go of her hand and put my hands on her glorious long legs running my fingers up them from her calves across her thighs with my thumbs pressed firmly against the inside of them. I stroked up and down, grazing my thumbs very close to her center and then moved my hands under her, sliding them up until I could cup her ass cheeks in my hands. I pulled her closer to the edge of the bed and eased her legs apart even wider, placing her feet over my shoulders with me in the middle. I wasted no time diving in to where I most wanted to be. Bella placed her elbows on the bed propping herself up so she could…_watch? _I put my mouth on her wet center, inhaling the scent of her arousal which was somewhat tangy and made me even harder for her. She smelled like Bella and sex. I loved it. Bella hissed when I ran the flat side of my tongue all the way up her most sensitive area. I had to look up for a second to see the look on her face which appeared to be pure bliss. I smirked as her hips twitched.

"Glad to see you like that, baby." I started to lick her once again.

"Don't stop, it feels so good," she rasped.

"You taste amazing, Bella, so sweet." I slid my fingers along the back of her legs until I reached her ankles and then lifted them, placing her feet on the edge of the bed. With my elbows, I pushed her thighs against the bed with one of my hands gently pressing down on her hip. This way she was open to me and her hips were still so I could put one of my fingers at first and then another inside her, curling them slightly up to stroke her most sensitive spot. As I licked up her juices running the flat side of my tongue up toward her clitoris and I started to suck and nibble and flick my tongue against it, Bella started to move, as I thought she might, she tried to buck her hips against my mouth.

"Oh, Edward," was all she said as she started to flail around so I draped my forearm over her waist to hold her hips securely against the bed as I continued to pump my fingers in and out and lick her bundle of nerves.

"Lay back, baby," I told her and then resumed my delicious torture; the old saying _this is harder for me than it is for you_ definitely held true here. Man, did she ever taste good and she was so wet. I felt like I was going to explode, I was so aroused by her. I pulled my fingers out and started to rub one of them on her nub and ran my tongue up and down, up and down. Just then, Bella started making the most delicious sounds I think I have ever heard as she exploded (instead of me) all over my tongue.

"Oh Edward, Edward I'm cu…" she couldn't get the word out. "Stop. Too much." She started to push my fingers away from her center. I licked her there one last time and then I reached both of my hands and arms up under her, with both of her legs encircling me, I got onto my feet and picked her up, moving both of us to the middle of the bed and set her down gently on her back and crawled up between her legs and leaned in towards her. Bella grabbed my shoulders first pulling me down on top of her and then ran her fingers through the back of my hair, which felt so good and then started rubbing my back up and down as I started to kiss her sweet lips. Then my sweet girl licked my lips, cleaning herself off of me, which only excited me more if that was even possible as our tongues entered each other's mouths. While this was going on, I was also thinking about the fact that I was leaning on Bella so I was very careful not to squish her under me with my weight by leaning on my forearms.

I stopped kissing her for a moment raising up my head and pushing up a little higher on my arms to fully take in the sight of my angel, my Bella, lying beneath me and then gave her another kiss, this one more chaste than the last. I moved down her body a little, running a trail of kisses from her neck down to each of her spectacular breasts, kissing first one nipple then the other. Bella sighed at the contact. I slid my weight over to my left arm and reached my right hand over to squeeze her left breast, running my fingers first over her sternum. I licked her nipple and areola several times and then took it in my mouth, sucking on it, as I moved my hand over to her right breast then to gently massage. Just as I rubbed my thumb across and around the tip of her right nipple, I heard the words I most wanted to hear.

"Make love to me, Edward."

"I love you Bella, so much," I said with a very raspy, deep voice and as I looked into her teary, yet sated and happy eyes I positioned myself against her opening and pushed in just the head at first to let her adjust and then all the way. We both gasped at the sensation. Bella slid her legs up around me taking me in deeper and I could hear her sounds of pleasure along with my own, as I started to move inside her. It felt good to be home.

**Thanks for reading, please review :). Also, I've set up Twitter. I'm still learning the ropes but I'd love it if you'd find me there and follow me. I've got the same user name.**


	20. Forgiveness

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

**Bella**

When I arrived in my office after the very best morning sex-quite possibly the best sex ever, regardless of time of day; it had started out so playful and fun and turned into something deep and sensual-of my life, things just kept going in my favor.

Upon arriving at work, I had a message from the assistant district attorney stating that he wanted to meet with me about my case. Apparently, he'd been able to talk _his_ boss into one final offer, and sitting in his office that morning, I couldn't believe my luck. It was a good offer, one I felt comfortable taking to my client. "Thanks, Riley. You really went the extra mile for me on this one. I shouldn't have any trouble convincing him to take this." I smiled sincerely.

"It's my pleasure, Bella," he assured me. "Believe me; I don't want to take this to trial any more than you do."

"The timing is incredible," I told him. "I was actually starting to get a little nervous. If we hadn't settled it by tomorrow, I was going to have to pass it off to someone else."

"Why's that?"

"I'm moving. I was initially going to be here until next week, but something's come up and I'm leaving the day after tomorrow instead." As an employee of ACU, I didn't work with-or against, rather-the district attorney's office often, but I'd seen Riley around. There were only a handful of firms that worked out of this courthouse. There were ten courthouses in Seattle alone, and hundreds of law firms. Each firm, therefore, worked out of a single courthouse for the sake of convenience. On top of that, because ACU was a private firm, we primarily worked with clients, mostly wealthy businessmen, that hired us rather than the kinds of cases that were tried by the DA. I hadn't spent much time with Riley, therefore, but I wasn't sure whether or not any rumors had gotten out about me. By the look on his face, I suspected that they hadn't.

"Oh, I hadn't heard that," he said, leaning back in his chair and lifting his arms up, resting his hands on the top of his head, fingers linked. "I'm not sure what the right sentiment is. Congratulations? Safe travels?" He chuckled lightly. "I'll miss you, perhaps?" We both chuckled at that last one. We didn't know each other well enough for it to be either appropriate or true.

"I suppose any of those would be fine." I couldn't help but shake my head slightly at his comments. "Well, I've got a busy day ahead of me, so I should get going. I'll need to meet with my client and my boss to get this finalized. Once the papers are signed, I'll fax you a copy."

Riley stood and reached across his desk to shake my hand. "It's been a real pleasure working with you-well, against you on this case, Bella." He smirked. "Maybe we'll meet again. If not, good luck in..." he trailed off, realizing too late that I hadn't told him where I'd be moving to.

"Chicago," I supplied. "Well, I'll be working in Wheaton but living in Chicago, that is, until we move into the house." I blushed, mentally smacking myself for giving out too much information. What was wrong with me these past few weeks? I really had been talking too much to everyone these days.

Riley was polite, though, and didn't comment on my specifics, instead sticking with, "Wow, that's quite a move."

"Yeah, well, my boyfriend lives there, and I'm moving in with him." I absentmindedly rubbed my belly when I said this.

"Oh. Well, congratulations, again. Until next time," he said, opening the door for me.

"Good-bye, Riley."

It didn't take much persuasion to convince my client that this deal was the best he was going to get, and after about an hour of discussion, he agreed with me. By lunchtime, all the papers were signed and waiting for me to file with the court in the afternoon. Feeling pretty good with my morning's accomplishments, I called Angela upstairs and requested a meeting with Mr. Ateara to finalize my last days in the Seattle office. It was time to let him know that my timeline had moved up by a week. I hoped it wouldn't be a problem.

"Ah, Miss Swan," he greeted me when I entered his office at the agreed upon time.

I took his proffered hand and shook it once, professionally. "Mr. Ateara," I returned the greeting.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?"

There was no point in beating around the bush, so I just jumped right in. "Well, sir, I know we talked about a July thirtieth end date for me, but I was wondering if it would be possible to move that up a week. There's been a change in my personal life that's going to require me to leave this weekend. I just found out last night," I added quickly, hoping to relieve some of the sting from the blow from the sudden change.

Seemingly unabashed, he asked, "How's your case coming along?"

"Just settled it this morning; I'll be faxing the signed papers over to the ADA and the courthouse this afternoon."

"Well, good. Make sure you finish it before you go, and I don't see any reason why you can't start in Wheaton next week. With nothing left on your case here, there's really no reason for you to stay, anyway I suppose. No sense starting something new with so little time left. Incidentally, are you flying or driving?"

My eyebrows furrowed. Why did that matter? I knew that he was incredibly professional, though, and that this probably wasn't a personal question, so I responded, "We're driving. All of my things have already been shipped."

"Okay. And you're leaving when?"

"Saturday morning."

"Well, Seattle to Chicago is a good three or four day drive, so I'll let Jake know that you'll be starting next...let's see, how does Wednesday sound?" he asked, looking at the large desk calendar while he spoke. "That gives you an extra day just in case."

It had already been established amongst the three of us-Mr. Ateara, Mr. Black, and me-that I'd be working closely with Jacob Black once I transferred. Everyone thought that it would make the transition easier working with someone from the 'home office.' I was so grateful that the two of them were making my transition so seamless. "Wednesday sounds fine. Thank you, sir."

"Very good. Was there anything else, Miss Swan?"

"No, sir. Nothing else. Thank you. For everything." I stood to go. A part of me felt like I was being deceptive, not telling him that I was pregnant, but then I realized that it was too soon to tell anyone outside of family. I'd tell my new boss in Illinois when the timing was more appropriate.

"It's my pleasure, Miss Swan. Good luck in Wheaton."

"Thank you," I repeated.

x-x-x

With the job situation under control, I had just one more thing to do before Saturday morning. So, as I spent the afternoon packing up my personal belongings from my office on Friday, my last day in Seattle, I was mentally working up the nerve to make the call.

Just before I left, I picked up my cell phone and dialed the number that I'd been avoiding for a week and a half.

"Bella, thank heavens you called," Alice's voice rang through the line.

"Yeah. I'm sorry it's taken me so long," I started.

"Are you kidding? After what I did, I'm surprised you haven't written me off for good. I totally deserve your silent treatment, which is why I haven't called you, either. I was a terrible friend, Bella, and I'll never be able to tell you 'I'm sorry' enough."

I didn't know whether to agree with her or laugh at her. There was no denying that she hurt me, but I wasn't mad at her...anymore. "I could never write you off for good, Al," I said seriously. "But listen, I don't want to do this over the phone. Can you meet me tonight? Edward and I are leaving in the morning."

"In the morning?" she gasped. "I thought you weren't moving until _next_ weekend?"

"Yeah, well, he needs to get back to work, so I talked to my boss and got approval to start at the new office next week instead of the week after," I explained.

"Bella," she whined. "Seriously?" I could almost hear the tears in her voice. "I screwed up this badly, and you're moving two thousand miles away _tomorrow_, and I'm just now finding out? How am I going to make it up to you if I've only got a couple of hours to do it in? I was counting on having more time."

"I'm sorry, Alice. It's been really hectic getting everything ready. Besides, we just decided to move up the date a few days ago."

"Wow, you must really like this guy, if you can be ready to move to another state with only a few days' notice."

"I do; I love him, Alice. So much. Plus, we're having a baby together, remember? He needs to get back to work so as not to risk his job any more than he has already, and frankly, after over a decade of this, long-distance, neither-of-us-realized-we-were-in-one relationship, I don't want to spend another day or night away from him. Ever."

"Yeah, that was kind of lame, the way neither of you ever realized what you were doing. I mean, I saw it ages ago."

"Why didn't you fill me in? You could've saved me a lot of heartache."

"I don't know. I guess I just thought, or hoped, that you'd figure it out on your own if it was real, before you did anything stupid. But you didn't," she trailed off wistfully.

"No, I didn't," I sighed.

"When you started dating Emmett and seemed to really like him, I just figured I was wrong."

"Well, you weren't." Then I spoke with conviction. "So, are you able to get a drink with me tonight or not? I mean, not a _drink-_drink, of course, but a coffee or something. I really do want to see you again before I leave, which is pretty early in the morning. I'm meeting with the super to return my keys at eight, and we're leaving right after that."

"Of course I'll meet with you. Name the time and the place."

After I hung up with Alice, I called Edward to let him know what I'd arranged with Alice and because I didn't want to leave him out, I asked him if he wanted to come along. He knew as well as I did that I was just asking to be polite, and that this was something I needed and wanted to do on my own, so I was not surprised when he told me to go, that he would be fine and would be waiting to hear how it went when I got back to the apartment. He knew how important Alice's friendship was to me and that we needed this time together if our friendship had a chance of surviving.

Twenty minutes later, I was pulling up to the café we'd agreed on. I didn't see Alice's yellow Porsche yet, so I ordered drinks for both of us. Alice always had the same thing, so I was confident that I'd get her order right. I looked around the small room, and thankfully, the plush leather sofa was available. I was exhausted from work today. I hadn't realized how much stuff I actually had packed into my half of the office. Thankfully, Eric had carried my heavy box to my truck for me (he'd even agreed to come to the apartment in the morning and help Edward move the last few things out), but I was still sore in all the wrong places today. I set both of the paper cups on the table situated in front of the sofa, then sank down into the soft cushions and leaned back allowing my eyes to close while I waited for Alice.

It couldn't have been more than about three seconds after I sat down when I felt her bouncing presence jostling the otherwise comfortable cushions around me. I opened my eyes slowly and gazed over at my best friend. Her expression was somewhere between the excitement that was ever-present in her life and remorse for the reason behind the get-together it had been so long since we'd had a get-together like tonight. I think she was a little closer to the excitement phase, although there was still that trace of trepidation dancing across her features. We sat there, looking at each other for a good minute before either of us said anything.

Finally, I said, "There's no way I can't forgive you, you know that, right?" Her only response was to squeal and clap her hands excitedly as she bounced around on the sofa cushions. I went on before she got the idea that things were going to be perfect between us so quickly. "I think we may need some ground rules that have never been necessary before, though. I was really hurt when you told my news, Alice, and even though I love you like my own sister, it's not something I'm going to forget easily."

She was uncharacteristically stoic for the first time in...well, for the first time in all the years I'd known her. "I know I did a bad thing, Bella," she said, looking incredibly ashamed.

"Yes, you did," I agreed. I wanted to keep her as my friend, but I wasn't going to let her off the hook. I picked up my paper cup and sipped the vanilla-flavored, decaffeinated coffee. I closed my eyes again, this time to savor the sweetness that flowed over my tongue before slowly swallowing the hot liquid. It didn't matter that it was the middle of the summer, cold coffee was never a taste I had acquired. "I got you one, too," I said, looking at her again and gesturing the second cup. "Your favorite," I added, smiling.

"Thanks, Bella." She took a sip of hers and had a similar reaction to the way I'd just felt; eyes closed, humming at the marvelous flavor of the coffee.

"So," I started again.

But Alice began talking before I could continue, going into a monologue and from the very beginning, I found myself envisioning what she was saying as if I were reading a book. I could picture everything in my mind's eye exactly the way she described it, and I was loathe to interrupt her explanation; I wanted to hear everything she had to offer before I said anything. Her eyes closed for a moment and then she just lowered her head and looked down towards her lap like she was afraid to look at me and began to speak quickly, powering through her story with an intensity I'd not seen before, even in Alice.

"I never should have handled this the way I did, but as you know, beating around the bush is not my style. At all. I'm usually very direct with people. Sometimes that's a blessing and sometimes it's a curse. When I went over to Rose's the other day, it turned into a curse.

"When you first called me, after you got off the phone with Edward after taking the test, I could tell what you were thinking, and I wanted to believe that you were right, that it was you and Edward having this baby. But, Bella, because I was removed from the situation, I could see things that you didn't. It was pretty much the same as you and Edward being 'together' for all those years through your letters. I saw that when you didn't. Well, this time, I saw the possibility that you didn't again. I realized almost instantly that it was way more likely that the baby was Emmett's than Edward's. I mean, at that point, you'd only been with Edward twice, but you had been in a relationship with Emmett for a year. I couldn't believe how quickly you'd moved on, frankly, and the fact that you didn't even question the paternity yourself baffled me." I felt so incredibly stupid when she said that. Of course I should have realized that Emmett was much likelier to be the father than Edward. I was glad that Alice's eyes were still focused downward as she couldn't see the silent tears escaping my eyes with these thoughts.

She continued, "This is going to sound really harsh, but I kind of thought you were a little delusional in your conviction and dedication to the belief that this baby was without a doubt yours and Edward's. I didn't understand how you couldn't even have had a second thought, especially when, like I said, you were with both of them in such a short time frame. Not that I'm judging you, not at all, I watched you go through that and I probably would have done the same thing. But Bella, when you called and told me that you were pregnant, my first thought was 'I hope this doesn't mess things up with Edward, Bella having a baby with Emmett.' But then you went on in practically the same breath that you and _Edward_ were having the baby, and I was stunned. Too stunned to bring that to your attention in that phone call.

"I meant to somehow broach the subject with you, but I was afraid of upsetting you. And then we both got so busy that I didn't see you or talk to you again before I went to Rose's that week. So I was never able to let you know what I was thinking. Eventually, I convinced myself that it would be better for you to realize the possibility yourself." She glanced up at me briefly then, saw the look on my face and looked away just as quickly, like she didn't want my reaction to sway her from continuing. "You have no idea how much I agonized over some way to help you figure out that Em was probably your baby's dad. Well, probably _is_ the birth-father." Her voice got quiet and her face was a perfect representation of her words: agonized.

"So, anyway, I went over to visit Rose that week, and she started by asking me to tell you that she was sorry for what she did. Of course, I never got that chance. Anyway, after her apology, she started talking about how close she and Emmett were getting, how what started as a physical thing quickly turned deeper. And then she started talking about the future. _Her_ future, with Emmett. She really thinks they're going somewhere, Bella. And she was going on and on about how she wanted to move out of the city, and have a yellow house with a yard and white picket fence and babies with him.

"Then she asked me if I knew that you were seeing Edward." Hearing my sharp intake of breath, she explained quickly. "She said something about an email you sent to Emmett about that, and he told her because it was the reason that you wanted her to come to the meeting as well." I remembered that now and understood that that must have been how she found out; it wasn't Alice who told her I was dating Edward. I couldn't even really be mad at him for explaining it to her. It made sense that he would tell her in that context.

"When she started talking about babies and you and Edward, though, I lost it, Bella. I started crying and she asked me why. I tried to contain myself, but I just couldn't. And because Rose is my sister, she wouldn't just let it go. I know this is hard for you to reconcile after what she did to you happened, but she does have feelings, Bella. She's not always a total bitch, even though what she did to you-essentially stealing your fiancé- would make anyone think otherwise. I hope that at some point you can see her normally again.

"Anyway, she wouldn't let up on me; I kept telling her that I was fine, but of course, that was a lie. Her talking about having babies with Emmett set me off, because you still hadn't realized the...possibility.

"So instead of answering her directly, I said to her 'what if Emmett already had a baby; would you still want that future with him?'

"And she totally freaked out, demanding more details. All I told her was that she needed to talk to you, that she needed to apologize to you and get any of that info directly from you, but that she should wait until you brought it up. I expected that you'd mention it during your meeting or confrontation or whatever the heck it was that you guys did. I remember the words 'I don't even think Bella realized the possibility' coming out of my mouth at some point." Alice's face-as she squeezed her eyes shut-was the epitome of sadness.

"I was still crying at that point, and Rose doesn't take crap from anyone, you know that, Bella. She looked me right in the eye and she said to me, 'Alice! What the hell are you blubbering about? You can't drop a bomb like that on me and then just shut down. Bella doesn't realize _what_? And what does Bella know about Em possibly having a kid? They broke up weeks ago.' I remember it clear as day, she sounded just like that. And of course, in doing my best to keep your secret, I just started crying even harder. I could see the gears turning in her head, and before long, she got it. I swear, though, Bella, I didn't say anything else, I would never betray your trust intentionally." Her eyes opened at this point, and were nearly as big as dinner plates, silently begging me for a moment to believe her. I just stared back at her, either not sure what to think yet or wanting to hear the rest of her story, I wasn't sure which. Probably both. "I'd already said too much, though, Bella, I'm sorry." She started crying now. "Rose got it, she figured it out. And when she said to me, 'Crap, Alice! Bella's pregnant, isn't she?' I couldn't lie. I couldn't lie to my sister, Bella. I never confirmed what she said, but she knew anyway. I'm so sorry, Bella. When Rose started talking, all I could think was that _she_ was in love with your baby's dad. And you weren't. I still wasn't even considering the possibility that Edward could be the dad. What a mess." She mumbled the last line, leaning against the back cushions of the couch.

She seemed to be done, so I thought it was okay to talk. I really had to say something about that last thing she said. "It's not a mess, Alice. I'm having a baby and I know the timing could be better and yeah, it will suck if Em is the bio-dad, but so what if he is? I hate what he did to me, but I don't really regret my time with him; it led me to where I am now. It doesn't change anything, don't you see? I'm with Edward now and we are going to be a family-the three of us-and _Edward_ is going to be this baby's daddy whether he is the bio-dad or not. He's made that perfectly clear. Have you heard that old saying, 'anyone can be a father but it takes someone special to be a daddy'? Well, Edward is that someone special. We're happy, Alice, we're even excited about it now. It's _not_ a mess, in fact it's practically perfect."

"I'm sorry, Bella. I really shouldn't have said that. I'm glad you two are so happy about everything."

"We are. We really are. Now getting back to what you explained before about when you told me that it just 'slipped out'." I couldn't help the look of disgust I felt on my face, but I tried to clear my features quickly before continuing. "All you told her was that there was a possibility that Emmett might be _a_ father. You didn't specifically say anything about me being pregnant? And definitely nothing about him being _this _child's father?" I rubbed my belly lovingly, thinking of Edward and what I was sure he and I had made together. Even now, I wouldn't-couldn't-believe the possibility of Emmett.

"That's right, Bella. I swear that's what happened. I wasn't thinking clearly, and don't be mad at Rose about this, either," she added. "I mean, yeah, be mad at her for sleeping with stealing your fiancé, but not for getting me to tell your secret. She wasn't trying to coerce me, I swear. She was just so happy talking about her new relationship, and when she mentioned Emmett and kids, I just lost it."

"I see," I murmured.

"She promised me that she wouldn't say anything unless it got to the end of your meeting-conversation thing with her and Emmett and Edward and you hadn't said anything. And honestly, Bella, I'm not entirely sure that was the wrong thing to do. I know that's not going to be a popular opinion, but it needed to be brought to your attention since you weren't able-or maybe just not willing-to see it." It startled me a little when she'd just repeated my thoughts from a second before, just using slightly different words.

That stung, but I knew she was right. "I just wish you would've told me first. You're always seeing these things in my life, and you never tell me, Alice! It feels like you think I can't handle it or something. I'm not a child you know."

"I know."

"Well you need to stop treating me like one and start talking to me. We're supposed to be best friends, Ali, you're keeping all these things from me, and they're _about_ me, for crying out loud, so just talk to me. That's all I ask."

Her face fell, and she apologized again. "I'm sorry, Bella. For everything. For not having the guts to be honest with you, for hiding things from you, and most of all for telling my sister anything. Can you ever forgive me, Bella?"

"It was an honest mistake, Alice. I see that now. And in all honesty, I forgave you before we even came here tonight."

"You did?" Relief flooded her face.

"Yeah, I did," I reassured.

"How did you get to be so great?"

"Well, I've got great parents, and a really great best friend." I smiled warmly at her. "But, best friend, remember those rules I mentioned earlier?"

"Yeah?"

"It's just one rule, really. No more secrets, okay? We need to be honest with each other all the time. I don't want something like this to happen again, so I want you to promise me that you'll come to me next time, no holding back. Especially when it's about my life, okay?"

"I promise," she said. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and embraced her in a hug, which she eagerly returned. It felt so good to have my best friend back.

x-x-x

I was shocked when I entered the apartment after my chat with Alice. There was literally nothing left. All the furniture had been moved out of the living and dining rooms and every surface was clean. I was a fair housekeeper, but definitely nothing to write home about. The last time the apartment was this clean was probably the day I moved in. As I stood there, taking everything, which was nothing, in, it really hit me. I was leaving tomorrow and not coming back. I took a deep, shaky breath to calm myself before I stepped into the room. I wandered around each room, hearing nothing but my own footsteps echoing around the empty space, and when I finally reached the bedroom, I saw that the apartment wasn't _completely_ empty. The bed was still in its place underneath the window, though the nightstands and dresser were gone. I also noticed that the closet was empty save for our sneakers, a pair of jeans, and t-shirt for each of us to wear tomorrow. The same duffle bag we'd taken when we visited my parents was sitting on the floor by the door; I expected it held more clothes since the drive would take multiple days. Edward was lying on the bed with his head propped up on a few pillows, preoccupied with whatever he was watching on his laptop. When he saw me enter the room, he pulled his ear-buds from his ears and smiled. Closing his computer and placing it on the floor, he stood up swiftly, strode toward me and swept me up in a hug so full of love I couldn't help feeling again like the luckiest girl in the universe.

I buried my face in his chest, inhaling his fresh scent. It was fabulous and provided the calming sensation I needed after everything I'd been through today. He loosened his hold on me, lowered his head to mine, and kissed my mouth slow and passionately. He had the most divine lips, so full and soft, yet firm. When he released my lips, I missed his sweet mouth instantly.

"How's Alice?" he murmured into my hair. "How did everything go?"

"She's good. We're good," I told him. I knew he had been worried about that. He didn't want me moving away with any unresolved issues. I didn't want that, either, in all honesty. He hadn't pressured me into anything, but he had mentioned once that he thought it would be a good idea to work things out with her before we left. "She explained everything. It really was an honest mistake."

"Good," he mumbled, kissing me under my ear. "Have you eaten?" He ran his nose across my jaw line and pecked me chastely on my mouth this time.

"No, we only had coffee. I waited for you."

"That's good because I've been waiting for you for a very long time and I'm quite hungry."

"Is that so Dr. Cullen? Why do I get the feeling we aren't talking about food anymore?"

"Oh don't get me wrong; I am hungry for many things, but if it's all the same to you, Ms. Swan, the food can wait."

"I want you, Edward," I moaned, the playfulness suddenly replaced with longing. I lifted my chin and brought my gaze to his; I gasped slightly when I recognized his expression and felt his arousal pressed between us. His eyes had deepened to the darkest shade of jade I'd seen yet and smoldered into mine, blazing with pure, unadulterated desire. His hold on me tightened as he brought me even closer to him... so strong, so beautiful, so in control... the way he looked at me made me feel breathless and weak in the knees.

The kiss started out innocently enough, simply my lips moving against his. His right hand cupped my face while his left wrapped around my lower back bringing me tighter still. The desire I'd seen in his eyes and felt in mine quickly took over, though, and I found my tongue sliding over his mouth, begging for entrance. He smiled against my lips and quickly obliged. I was instantly reminded of why I loved kissing and touching him so much; the feelings he brought out in me were so much more intense than anything I'd felt with anyone before. Everything from his taste to his obvious arousal to his loving embrace flooded over me and I forgot about everything else around me. My fingers fisted in his hair while his left hand threaded into mine. His right hand was resting gently on the small of my back, providing dual meaning-the gentle touch of a friend and the urgent longing of a lover.

Before long, even the deepest kisses weren't enough and once we got to that point, our clothes were shed so quickly that I didn't notice who removed whose. It didn't matter.

He'd taken control each time we'd been together thus far, and while I loved that, I wanted to treat him tonight. I reluctantly extracted my fingers from his hair, where they'd reinserted themselves after our clothes had been removed. I placed my palms on the front of his bare shoulders and encouraged him backwards until his knees pressed up against the bed. I pushed him down then onto the purple sheets until he was lying flat on his back with his legs stretched out in front of him. I followed him quickly, crawling up onto the bed and it wasn't until I knelt down between his legs that he seemed to realize what my plan was. His eyes grew wide and he gazed at me with pure longing. I cocked one eyebrow at him in silent request to continue what I wanted to do. With no more response than the gradual hooding of his eyes and his hands reaching out to briefly connect with the back of mine, I slid my hands slowly and teasingly up and down his thighs. I then removed one and placed it at the base of his rather large and glorious length and the other against his hip. With one last gaze at his beautiful face, my eyes travelled down his body once again, arriving at their destination, I leaned in and licked the pre-cum from the head of his penis before I opened my mouth wider and took every inch of his length that I could fit, into my mouth.

The moan that escaped his lips at the contact was so arousing to me. My heart was beating practically out of my chest, not in nervousness, but in pleasure. I could feel the growing pressure and wetness between my legs, but I didn't care. I was thrilled to be causing this reaction in him and I could get mine some other time. Edward had been so amazing to me and for me these past two months and I was just so happy to be able to make him feel good in return. I opened my mouth a little further and slid my tongue up and down him as I sucked him deeper into my mouth causing even more moans and an "Oh my... Bella, that feels so good," to slip from his throat.

I knew I was on the right track when he gently threaded his fingers in my hair and coaxed the rhythm of my movement exactly the way he needed. Then he bunched up my hair into one hand and put the other on my shoulder, kneading it softly. He raised his head off the pillow and in a deep, sexy voice, he told me, "I need to see your face." I smiled around _him _and then released him from my mouth, while I maintained the momentum with my hand. I looked up at him and gave him a contented smile, taking in his in return. Leaning forward, I braced myself against his chest with my other hand and gave him a not so gentle kiss, pushing my tongue into his mouth and swiftly lapping at his, before pulling away to a frustrated groan from Edward. When I resumed what I had started previously, his frustration melted away instantly. I licked the head of his penis once again and swirled my tongue around the tip for an instant, which caused Edward to gasp and his body to release a tremor while he dropped his head to his pillow once again. I looked up at him and he seemed to be lost in his own arousal as he closed his eyes, and called out my name.

Shortly after that, he moved his hands to gently stroke my cheeks and then lowered one hand to cup my face effectively slowing my movements. I looked up at him, uncertain what he wanted.

"So amazing, what you're doing to me," he rasped out, "but love, if you want me inside you, stop." He was panting quite hard, and I could hear the indecision in his request. He was loving what I was giving him, but he also wanted to bury himself inside of me. I knew if I didn't remove my mouth, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from coming. I reminded myself quickly that tonight was all about him; I wanted to make _him _feel good, so I lifted his hand away from my face and rubbed circles across his knuckles with my thumb a few times before I placed it on the sheet beside him and kept my mouth firmly in place and increased the pace instead. He mumbled an expletive as I did and fisted the sheets in both of his hands as his eyes rolled back in his head.

I continued my teasing, licking, sucking, and nipping as I held his balls and gently rubbed them, eliciting a loud moan from Edward as I did. Then, with his eyes closed and mouth slightly agape, he warned me to stop, telling me, "I'm going to come." I had no intention of stopping though. I wanted to taste him. Seeing him enjoying the moment so much was the sexiest thing I had ever seen and just spurred me on more. A moment later and I was rewarded with warm ribbons of _him_ flowing into my mouth. It was fabulous. He was fabulous. I eagerly swallowed everything he gave.

When I was finished cleaning him up with my tongue, I crawled up his body with a smirk on my face and cuddled into his side, kissing up and down his jaw. He put one arm around me and held me close while the fingers of his other hand ran through his hair a few times and then moved down my body and finally caressed my belly. "Thank you, for doing that. You felt amazing," he expressed as he pressed his lips to my forehead. "Give me a sec love, and then I can return the favor."

"It's okay Edward, another time. I feel great just like this."

"Are you sure?" He was looking in my eyes now, gauging my sincerity.

"Yeah, I'm sure. You can owe me," I answered with a contented smile followed by another kiss to his jaw. My lips were tickled with the slight scruff he had going on there, and I smiled even wider at the contact.

"What is putting that big smile on your face?" he asked, looking cocky and yet completely satiated. _I did that,_ I thought smugly. _I gave him that completely satisfied look. _

"Oh nothing really. I'm just happy, that's all, and also, I really love the way your face feels about two days after you shave."

"Well, for you, I think I can manage to leave it that way," he said.

"Really?" I asked.

"No," he said with a smirk. I pouted. The big tease; two can play at that game. "I would do anything for you, love, you know that, but I have to shave for my job," he chuckled at my expression.

I frowned some more. "That was not nice," I told him, and he looked immediately remorseful. I smiled at him to reassure him and ran my hand over his chest and perfect abs. "I'm just teasing you," I said quickly, not wanting him to feel bad about joking with me. I loved playful Edward, and I never wanted him to think that he couldn't tease me.

He narrowed his eyes at me and moved so quickly I didn't see him coming. Before I could wiggle out of his way, he was sitting on my hips, tickling my sides. No matter what I did, I couldn't get away from him and before long, I was crying, "Uncle, uncle!"

He finally stopped, and we were both laughing so hard that tears were streaming down our faces. "I love you," he said as he rolled off me.

"I love you, too," I replied.

"We should probably sleep, we've got a big day tomorrow," he said after a few moments of silence. "But we can't yet, I have to get something. Just wait a sec, I'll be right back." I had no idea what was so important that he had to get it right then, but as I thought about that and heard him rushing through the apartment, I didn't have to wait long to find out because he was back in a flash. He came back with a tray in his hands. _Mmm, naked Edward with dinner, _I couldn't help thinking. "I don't know about you but I'm starving and you're eating for two so that means before we go to sleep tonight, we are both eating something." He smiled. I couldn't believe it; he had two cartons of milk, two take-out cups, napkins and two subs. "I went to the deli down the street after you called about meeting Alice. I knew you would wait to eat with me." He gave me his knowing grin.

"How did you know that?" I was curious.

"I knew because you're one of the most thoughtful people I know."

"No, you are," I giggled.

"No, you are, now no more arguing; just eat," he laughed.

"Okay, I will, I'm starving, too." I told him as I tried to stifle a yawn. "And Edward, thank you."

I was completely wound up after his little tickle-fest, but I knew he was right, I needed to eat and I needed to sleep. So I wolfed down most of the chicken- Caesar-sub he bought me and the entire individual-sized carton of milk. Everything I didn't finish of mine Edward cleaned up, in addition to his own. I thanked him again for thinking ahead and picking up dinner for us and then I put my head down on his chest, and snuggled into his side contentedly, as he pulled the sheet and quilt up to my chin. I don't remember much after that as I fell asleep quickly with Edward's arms wrapped securely around me.

x-x-x

Morning came far too early. Before I felt like I'd even been asleep for more than a few minutes, Edward was gently shaking my shoulders. "Bella, love, it's time to get up. Eric's here to help move the bed out, then we've got to meet with your landlord and get on the road."

"I don't want to," I grumbled, rolling over and pulling the quilt up over my head.

"I know, baby, but it's time. Everything we've been working toward for the past several weeks is here now. It's time to go home."

That one little word got me moving more than anything else he could have said. _Home._ It was time to go home with Edward.

An hour and a half later, everything was done and we were loaded up into my truck. Since we'd be living in the house instead of Edward's apartment within just a couple of months, I'd decided to keep my bed after all. We'd talked about it and decided to turn one of the four bedrooms in his grandfather's house into a guest room, and by keeping my queen bed, we wouldn't need to buy one later. I couldn't help an internal laugh when I remembered the "guest room" in his apartment, which didn't even have a bed in it. It was more a storage room than a guest room, and definitely the one room in the apartment that didn't seem to belong with the rest because his apartment was decorated so nicely. Finally, after picking up some coffee and breakfast sandwiches at the fast food drive-thru, we were on the I-90, on our way home.


	21. Going Home

**A/N: First the normal stuff: **

**I don't own **_**Twilight**_**. **

**Special thanks to my friends, Gerri (super beta extraordinaire) and Rory (the best pre-reader a girl could hope for), for making my story look like a super hero with their beautiful red and blue correction marks :). **

**And of course, thanks to you, for reading.**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE**

**Edward**

By the end of the first day—twelve hours of driving once we stopped for lunch, dinner and the several bathroom stops—we had made it as far as a small town about a third of the way through Montana. We could have gotten fast food and shaved a couple of hours off the trip, but it was bad enough that we'd done that for breakfast; I didn't want Bella eating that garbage any more than necessary. It was calories, but no nutrition, and she needed quality food. Even if she hadn't been pregnant, I'd want her eating healthy, so I avoided any kind of food in a wrapper. My silent vow for this trip was that any food we consumed had to be served on a plate with silverware.

As near as I could tell, this town was smaller than Forks had been, which was really saying something. Having grown up in a big city, the only time I'd spent in smaller towns were Sunday afternoons and holidays at my mother's parents' house, and Stone Park, with its population of about five thousand, was considerably bigger than what I could see of this place; the only reason I pulled over at all was that it was remarkably close to the interstate. It would be easy to get going again in the morning. Plus, I was tired and guessed that Bella probably was, too. I was glad we'd been able to find a motel in the town at all, frankly. There had actually been a couple of them, and I chose the one that looked the nicest. One of them on the outskirts of town had actually boasted hourly rates. I'd jokingly suggested that we stay there.

"Really? You want to stay there?" Bella had asked in disgust.

"I bet they have vibrating beds," I said seriously, trying to keep the façade going for a few extra minutes. "I've always wanted to try one of those."

"You're kidding," she said, eyeing me down within the confines of the truck. "That's revolting." She was shifting uncomfortably in her seat while she glared at me.

I couldn't keep the joke going any longer than that and a grin stretched over my face. I enjoyed watching her squirm, but I didn't want her to think I really was a total slime ball. "Yes, I'm kidding. You didn't actually think I'd take you to a sleazy motel with vibrating beds, did you?"

She exhaled loudly. "I am so glad you said that," she replied. "I didn't want to stay somewhere you pay by the hour." She was giggling now, and I was glad that she didn't seem to have been upset about my little stunt.

"You are far too precious to me to actually take you there," I assured her, cupping her face with one hand and rubbing her cheek with my thumb.

When we found a quality place to stay, we got checked in and I walked with our bag in one hand and my other arm snaked around Bella's waist to the room we'd been assigned by the night manager. It was a standard room with two queen beds, curtains that matched the bedspreads and an air-conditioner-slash-heater underneath the one window in the room. The small bathroom held a shower—no tub—and a toilet; the sink was just outside the door. And of course, the obligatory towel rack with two each of three sizes of white towels.

We'd stopped for dinner just a couple of hours before, so neither of us were hungry. We chose the bed furthest from the door and cuddled together, watching some old episodes of CSI on cable. After the second one, Bella took the remote from the table on my side of the bed and turned the television off. "So, I have a question," she started.

I turned slightly to face her. "What's that?"

"A few things, actually," she said. "Have you told your family about…what's going on? I mean, I haven't seen any of them since before we found out." She looked nervous.

I answered her honestly. "No, I haven't, and let me explain. When you first mentioned the possibility, I was frustrated with myself for not having made sure we were protected. And then when you sent me the picture on that Monday night, I kept thinking of it as a miscalculation, a mistake," I stopped short when I saw the look on her face; she looked so fragile, like I was hurting her with each word I said, so I decided to just say what I was going to say quickly because it was honest. I really thought she needed to know that getting to where I am now—being happy about having this baby—was a process, that something shifted in me to get me on board. She needed to know that I wasn't perfect, but that I was willing to try to be for her.

"But then, the next day," I continued, "the day my grandfather died, everything changed for me. It was like a switch flipped in my brain. Everything made sense; of course this had happened, because nothing's ever chance or a mistake," I continued to gaze into her eyes, willing her to believe my words. "I felt somehow that our baby was…not taking the place of my grandfather, but more that everything suddenly made sense to me. I'm not sure I'm explaining it right, but I can't come up with better words," I could see some of the hurt still there in her eyes, but it also looked like she was trying to understand and accept what I was telling her.

"You thought this was a mistake?" she whispered, placing my left hand on her belly and hers on top of mine.

I pinched my eyes closed and felt some sort of grief rip through my chest. I had said too much. I had to make this better. I hoped I hadn't just ruined everything I'd worked so hard to build over the past six weeks with my stupid big mouth. "I shouldn't have said that. I was just freaked out, Bella, and I think it's important for you to understand that. _Mistake_ is the wrong word, you're right; mistake implies regret. I do not regret this in the least, I swear to you. Everything I've said to you, I've meant, from my declarations of love to that 'morbid' comment I made to your dad to the biology to what I told you in the shower about not wanting you to be ashamed because I wasn't. Every single word of that has been nothing but completely true.

"I don't want to lie to you and tell you that I was fine from the very beginning, though, because I wasn't. I was…nervous when you showed me your pills, and shocked and, yes, disappointed in myself when the test came back positive. Hey, look at me," I said, gently lifting her chin, which she had dropped when the word 'disappointed' left my lips. "I was disappointed in _myself_, not you."

"But if I had remembered the pills, you _wouldn't_ have been disappointed in yourself," she whispered as tears escaped her eyes and ran down her face.

My left hand was still resting on her abdomen, and in this fragile state that I'd put her in, I was afraid that moving it away would hurt her even worse, that somehow she'd interpret even such a small movement as some kind of rejection of our child. So I took my right hand instead and lifted it to her face to wipe her tears away. "I am not disappointed in you, not in the slightest. And I'm not upset at our growing family, not anymore; I haven't been for a long time now. Please understand that. It was just a few days that I was having those thoughts and feelings, and I swear to you, Bella, I wasn't lying when I told you that I wasn't mad. I'm not. And getting back to your original question, I haven't told my parents or my brother yet simply because the timing hasn't been right. I think it will be accepted better if we're there together, just like we did with your parents. Would you do me the honor of accompanying me to their house to tell them?" I felt the need to ask; I never wanted to take anything for granted with Bella.

"Of course I'll come with you," she said with a few unshed tears in her eyes.

"Thank you, Bella." I pulled her to me with my one arm that was not resting over her belly and gave her a squeeze, relieved that I had not ruined everything. "And don't worry, I'm not asking you to deliver the news, not at all. I mean, they are my family, but frankly, Bella, they love you. If you're there with me, they'll take the news a lot better. Especially my mother." I paused a moment to imagine my mother's reaction. She was actually going to be thrilled. I smiled at the picture of her that had manifested in my mind.

"What?" Bella asked, a smile starting to creep onto her sad face when she saw my smile.

"My mother is going to be thrilled, I promise you that. She's going to be amazing, just wait and see. I bet she'll help us get the house ready, and make all sorts of blankets and stuff for this little guy," I rubbed her stomach affectionately.

Bella brought her hands up to her eyes and rubbed the tears away. "Little guy?" she asked. I was confused, and I felt the reaction play across my face. "You just called the baby a 'little guy,'" she said, reading my expression.

I hadn't realized that I'd said that. "Did I?"

"Yeah, you did." She was smiling now, and I was so glad that I'd managed to diffuse the situation. "So, does that mean you're hoping for a boy?"

"I'm hoping for healthy." _And mine. _I hated that the thought even crossed my mind, and because there was no doubt in my mind that this would be _our_ child regardless, but it would be so much easier if we didn't have to worry about things such as visitation later on. Especially cross-country visitation. I repressed a shudder at that thought.

"Everyone says that. Surely you actually have a gender preference?"

"No, I don't think so," I said truthfully. When she continued to stare at me pointedly with an expression that said _I don't believe you_, I relented. "Alright, fine, I guess a boy would be kind of nice. You know, someone to teach baseball and car repairs to, not that you can't teach those kinds of things to a daughter too, but those are the experiences I had with my Dad, I could so easily see myself doing with a son. But you know, come to think about it a 'daddy's little girl' sounds pretty amazing, too. A 'princess' to spoil, I mean besides you of course." I winked at her and Bella rolled her eyes and then smirked in return.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I think I'd be happy with either, too," she sighed happily. I found it kind of funny that we'd both come to the exact same conclusion that I'd given her before her stare of death; gender didn't matter.

"Was there something else you wanted to ask me?"

"Hm?"

"Well, before, you said that you had a 'few' questions for me. Then I blew it with my very first answer. So, I was just wondering if there were other things you wanted to talk through."

"Actually we covered most of it already."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I was mostly wondering if you had a gender preference, which we covered. Besides that, though, there was one other thing. I was wondering if you had been thinking about names?"

I glanced over at her and she had this radiant look about her, all smiles and wonderment lighting her eyes. So beautiful. Since I had already put my foot in my mouth once this evening and had no desire to do so again, I decided to leave that question alone for now. So I leaned in and kissed the tip of her nose instead. "I think we have eight months to pick a name. That should be plenty of time, don't you think?" I looked in her eyes, smiling reassuringly.

She nodded her head in agreement and just smiled contentedly.

x-x-x

The next day as we were driving through South Dakota, Bella hit me with another question, one that I had been expecting but still somehow took me off guard. "How do you feel about a paternity test?"

I glanced over at her before returning my eyes to the road. Removing my left hand from the steering wheel, I ran it through my hair and sighed thoughtfully. I'd been thinking about this very thing almost nonstop for two and a half weeks, ever since the possibility had been brought up in that wretched coffee house. "I can appreciate why you want one," I told her instead of answering the question. I hoped that would be enough.

"Sure. And I know that you've promised that you don't care. But don't you want to know for sure?"

_Okay, not good enough._ "I suppose there are pros and cons, just like anything else."

"I really wish you would give me a straight answer," she said, obviously getting frustrated.

I hated having to discuss this. I knew it couldn't be put off forever, and I supposed that it probably was better to get everything out in the open sooner rather than later, but that still didn't make it a pleasant conversation to have. "I'm willing to take one. That's the best I can really do," I told her apologetically. That seemed to do the trick.

"What do you know about them?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, what all's involved? Do we have to wait until the baby's born, or are there options available to us beforehand?"

"I've never taken one or performed one, but from what little research I've done, it is possible to do one prenatally. Unless you're opposed to getting an amniocentesis."

"That's where they stick a really huge needle into my belly, isn't it?"

"Yes. They're done fairly regularly, though, so there's very little risk."

"What about pain, though? I don't do well with pain. Or blood."

"That's unfortunate, because you're going to be getting lots of blood tests done over the next few months."

"Really?" She looked squeamish at the idea of that.

"Standard stuff, baby, nothing to be afraid of."

"Except the huge needle," she muttered.

"Bella, an amniocentesis is less painful than getting a shot, from what I've been told," I assured her. Of course, I had no way of knowing that for certain, but according to everything I'd been taught in med school and during my residency, that was the case. "I've helped on plenty of them, and the mother is always saying afterward how much milder it was than she was expecting. And besides, I'll be there for everything. I will attend every single doctor's appointment with you, holding your hand the entire time. I know my being there won't take the discomfort away, but at least you'll never be alone."

"You promise?"

"Yes, I promise."

"Okay. Now, you said _very little risk._ That doesn't mean that there's no risk at all," she said, catching my word choice.

"That's true. Just like any other surgical procedure, whether inpatient or outpatient, there is always some risk. I'm not in the business of worrying you, though, so let me just say this about the procedure. Less than one percent of women have any problems. Okay? So rest assured."

"Okay," she said, not looking fully convinced but still moderately calmer than she had been at the first mention of the amnio. "So," she said a few minutes later, "they're going to stick a huge needle into my stomach, and what exactly is it they're looking for?"

I couldn't help but chuckle just a little at her overly simplified synopsis of what I'd said. "Your doctor is going to run an ultrasound at the same time to make sure he—or she—doesn't get the baby. Then they're going to take out about an ounce—just a couple of tablespoons—of the amniotic fluid surrounding the baby. They'll also need blood samples from both of us for comparison purposes. The lab will probably run several tests on the sample to make sure everything's okay; we'll just have to ask them to add this one to the list."

"Is that going to be a problem? I mean, this isn't really a normal situation, is it?"

"I can't honestly say. It's not a situation I've ever been in before, but that isn't to say that it doesn't happen. Try not to worry, Bella, everything will be fine. _We_ will be fine."

"I know, I really just want this to be over with." She frowned slightly when she said this, and it looked like she wanted to keep talking about the procedure. I really didn't, not right now anyway, so I settled on a similar topic that would be slightly more pleasant.

"So, we need to find you a doctor as soon as we get home, right?"

"Yeah, we do. Do you have any suggestions?"

"I've got a few people in mind, yeah. Do you do want a male or female doctor?"

"It doesn't really matter. I suppose I'd be a bit more comfortable with a female doctor, but what's more important is that we find one I can trust. And one with lots of experience, Edward. Not that I wouldn't trust you, but since we're expecting—hell, _requesting_—this extra test, I want someone who's done zillions of them. I don't want to be in that one percent."

I thought about what she'd said; I didn't want her to be in that one percent, either. Within seconds, I knew who to recommend to her. I had to ask one more question first, though. "Would you be opposed to seeing someone in my clinic?"

"No, of course not. That would probably be more convenient, actually, that way you're close by for the appointments."

"My thoughts exactly. So, would you mind if I suggested Dr. Snow for you? He's a man, but he's extremely experienced and level-headed, and I trust him with my life. I would never recommend someone I didn't, but Dr. Snow is really something special. I think you'd like him. He's the most experienced doctor I know, even more so than my father."

The sun was starting to set behind us; I hadn't even noticed its glare in my mirrors, I'd been so absorbed in the conversation. "Okay, if he'll see me, I'll give Dr. Snow a chance," Bella nervously agreed.

I smiled, casting a sideways glance her way. "You'll like him, I promise. He'll take good care of both of you."

We made it through the rest of the trip with no more heavy conversations.

x-x-x

**Bella**

It felt good to be back in Edward's apartment. Home. The Seattle apartment had felt less like home with each passing day since the week I'd spent here with Edward; that seemed so long ago now. The feeling of wanting to leave Seattle and really start my new life had just gotten stronger as we had continued to pack the apartment. By the time we left, I was honestly excited to be going. I knew it wouldn't be all ribbons and bows, hearts and flowers, that like anything else worth doing in life I would have some adjusting to do, but I felt up to the challenge.

It was hard to believe that it had been over two months since I was supposed to have married Emmett. My life was so drastically different than it had been then, but _so_ much better.

We had to get a storage unit to hold my "keep" boxes until everything was finalized with Harold Platt's will and we could move into the house. Edward's grandfather had been incredibly well-prepared and even though his death had come about quite suddenly, everything was ready and his will had been easily found in a file cabinet in one of the bedrooms in the house which had served as his private office, even after his retirement. The probate lawyer had already contacted Edward, Esme, and Jasper, the three people named specifically in the will, and since none of them were contesting it, the lawyer didn't expect that it would take too much longer, but he advised us not to give up the apartment quite yet.

Work wasn't actually that different than it had been in Seattle. The people were different, of course—except for Jacob—but that was pretty much it. Jacob was a breath of fresh air after having worked directly under Quil Ateara. Mr. Ateara had been very stoic and professional almost to the point of strict. Jake was professional, of course, but he also treated me as an equal and insisted that I call him by his given name.

My arrival back in Chicago had lined up almost perfectly with one of the dates of the local bar exam. I'd had a week to study the Illinois-specific laws and had taken the exam two weeks ago. I was still awaiting the results, but I was fairly secure in my performance. I was a little nervous—failing was always a possibility—but due to the fact that I'd already been a practicing lawyer for a year, the test hadn't felt overly difficult.

According to Edward, I was about ten weeks pregnant now, and he had successfully gotten me in as a new patient under Dr. Snow. It was there that I was now driving, having gotten approval from Jacob to take a half day at work today. I still hadn't told him that I was expecting, just that I had a doctor's appointment today. I was hoping to get some sort of reassurance at this appointment that everything was okay so that we could finally start letting other people know. Edward had insisted on waiting to tell his family until after this first doctor's appointment, which had been incredibly difficult every time we'd seen them in the past three weeks. The omission felt like lying whenever Esme asked me a question, even one as simple as 'how are you doing?' and I couldn't tell her that she was going to be a grandmother. Edward had told me that she was looking forward to having grandbabies to spoil, and that just made it harder. I was glad that I was working this time around so that I was kept busy during the days and not tempted to call her for every little thing.

After a little over an hour of driving, I arrived at Edward's clinic in the city. I checked in with the receptionist—the same one that had given me the evil eye when I'd had lunch with Edward here in June. She didn't seem to recognize me until after she'd handed me the clipboard with the 'new patient' paperwork on it and I said, "Um, I'm also supposed to meet Dr. Cullen here; could you tell him that Bella's waiting?"

Her eyes popped in recognition, and I expected some sort of backlash from the last time we'd met. She was very cordial, though, and just said, "Yes, of course, Miss Swan. I'll get you signed in with Dr. Snow and let Dr. Cullen know that you're waiting."

"Thank you," I told her with a smile. I wasn't entirely sure why she hadn't liked me the last time I'd been here, but I wasn't going to do anything to make anyone here dislike me on purpose.

I retreated to a chair against the left wall and looked at the papers attached to the clipboard the blond receptionist had given me. I started filling in the blanks and was nearly done when I felt a presence next to me. I looked over into the green eyes of Edward.

"Hey," I greeted.

"Hi," he responded, draping his arm over my shoulders. "How's it going there?"

"Good. Just finishing up the paperwork." As if to prove my point, I signed my name on the bottom of the paper with a flourish.

"I'll take that for you," he said, and I handed the clipboard to him. "I don't know if Kate told you, but Dr. Snow is going to need a urine sample, too; there are cups in the bathroom, just follow the instructions that are in there." He pointed me in the direction of the bathroom and carried my clipboard to the girl at the desk while I headed in the direction of the bathroom. After following the instructions carefully (I was kind of surprised to see the big bin of cups and markers as well as the instructions for providing a clean sample taped to the wall, just as Edward had said), I washed my hands and returned to my seat; Edward was already back in his seat waiting for me. We sat in comfortable silence, just holding hands until my name was called. The medical assistant led us to the back area, past Edward's office to a scale in the hallway. After making a note of my weight on a scrap of paper, she led us into the examination room where I climbed up onto the table while Edward took a seat next to me. After the MA had finished with my vitals, she assured us that Dr. Snow would be in momentarily. It seemed as if Edward wasn't getting any special treatment; it was a full fifteen minutes before the doctor entered the small room.

"Good afternoon," he said, bustling in. Dr. Snow was older, his hair and beard the same color as his name. He had smile lines around his eyes, which were a sparkling blue, similar in color to Jasper's.

"Thank you for agreeing to take Bella on, Dr. Snow," Edward said, shaking the doctor's hand.

"Of course, Dr. Cullen," he replied. "Miss Swan, how are you feeling today?" Dr. Snow turned his attention to me.

"Um, well, I'm still throwing up most days, but other than that, I feel pretty normal."

"Good, good," he muttered, making some notes in the computer. He had me lay back and pressed my belly, checking for tenderness, and then measured me with a tape measure. When he was done, he said, "Let's go in the other room and take a look at your baby, you two." He stood from his rolly-stool and led us to a dark room with an ultrasound machine. I leaned up to Edward and whispered in his ear, "What will we be able to see this soon?"

"Mostly just the heartbeat," he whispered back. "And Dr. Snow will take some measurements and give us a more definitive expected due date."

I nodded and climbed up onto the table and leaned back on the pillow that was there. He squirted some gooey stuff onto my abdomen and started the machine, running the transducer over my skin. Within seconds, I could see what looked like a small light flashing on the screen. "Is that…?" I murmured.

"Yes," Edward told me. "That's his—or her—heartbeat. It looks good, Bella. Very healthy."

"You took the words right out of my mouth," Dr. Snow said, smiling at us. I felt myself beaming. So far, everything was good. A few minutes later, I was wiping my belly clean of the gel while the doctor was handing Edward some printouts from our session. "It looks like we should expect a baby on March 12th," he told us.

"Thank you, Doctor," Edward said.

"It's my pleasure," he assured us. "Take your time in here, and I'll see you in a month, Bella."

I nodded and Dr. Snow left the room, leaving Edward and me alone. "When should we ask him about the…you know? The other test?" I asked tentatively.

"Soon, but it's not urgent yet." I shot him a skeptical look. I was nervous about getting the test done, but I wanted it done nonetheless. I needed to know for sure that Edward was the father. Even if he said it didn't matter to him, it was important for my peace of mind. "It'll be at least another eight to ten weeks before we can get the test, so we'll talk to him at your next appointment," he promised upon seeing the look on my face.

"Okay," I agreed.

"Is everything okay Bella?"

"Yes, I'm fine. And you're right about Dr. Snow, I liked him very much. He made me feel comfortable right from the start."

"That's great Bella, I had a feeling."

"I know you did." I reached out my hand and threaded my fingers in his. "I guess there is nothing I can do to persuade you to come home early today with me, is there Dr. Cullen?" I looked up at him through my eye lashes.

"As tempting as your offer is Ms. Swan," he waved his finger at me and shook his head in mock warning, "I've got to go. I've got a few more patients to see this afternoon, but then I'm all yours."

"Alright. You can't blame a girl for trying. I'm off for the rest of the day, so I'll see you at home later," I told him.

"I love you," he said, leaning in and pecking me on the lips.

"I love you, too," I said. I drove home in my truck pondering everything that had happened so far this afternoon, and grinning like a fool the whole way. I was thrilled with everything that had happened and found myself looking forward to the middle of March.

**Thanks for reading. I'd really appreciate it if you'd press review and leave me a little message!**

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	22. Memories and Moving On

**A/N: First the normal stuff: **

**I don't own **_**Twilight**_**. **

**Special thanks to my friends, Gerri (super beta extraordinaire) and Rory (the best pre-reader a girl could hope for), for making my story look like a super hero with their beautiful red and blue correction marks :). **

**And of course, thanks to you, for reading.**

**As you may or may not have noticed, at the urging of the lovely Rory, I went back and named my chapters. I'm not going to re-upload the documents with names, that would be a nightmare, but you can see the chapter titles now in the drop-down menu. Take a look if you're interested :). Starting from here on out, though, I'll include the names as part of the title bar. For example:**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: MEMORIES AND MOVING ON**

**Edward**

I had a horrible thought a couple of hours after Bella left the office. What time had her appointment been? I couldn't remember. Looking at my wristwatch, I discovered that it was already after five o'clock; so I wondered—hoped, really—had she gotten home before James' shift started? I sincerely hoped so. I knew that it was my job to protect both her and the baby, but there was literally nothing I could do now. I forced myself to focus on my patients, because regardless of my personal life, I had obligations to them as well, and that was not something I could allow myself to take lightly.

I strode into room six and greeted the woman waiting patiently on the exam table. Looking up to her face, I was pleasantly surprised to see my friend Jared's wife, Kim. And then I was instantly embarrassed when I realized that I hadn't recognized (or paid attention to) her name on the chart. Smiling warmly at her, trying to hide the fact that I was surprised to see her here, I said, "Good evening, Kim."

She grinned back and replied, "Hey, Edward." It didn't even bother me when she didn't use my title. I'd known Jared and Kim almost as long as I'd been writing to Bella. It probably would have been even more awkward for her to have called me anything else.

"So, how's Jared?" I asked, pulling up my wheeled, black-padded stool to the paper-covered table.

"He's good," she told me. "How was Seattle?"

I thought back, trying to decipher which of my Seattle trips she'd be asking about. I honestly couldn't remember how much I'd told Jared between the two trips. While I was thinking, I looked through Kim's chart. The small talk was fine, but I needed to do my job, too. According to her check-in papers, she'd recently developed a rash that had her worried. I examined the areas she showed me on her hands, looking carefully at her skin while I answered her question. "Seattle was…interesting," I told her truthfully. "Jared told you that I ended up making two trips, right?" As I looked at the dry, red areas now covering her normally clear skin, I knew right away what the problem was. "Did you recently switch brands of hand soap or rubber gloves?"

"Yeah," she admitted almost sheepishly.

"It's just an allergic reaction. I'll get you a prescription for some cream, and you'll be all better in a week or so."

"Thank you. I guess I should go back to my old brand."

"Probably a good idea," I told her, writing out the prescription as I spoke. I also made sure to explain to her the best way to use the cream for optimal results.

After a few nods and assuring me that she understood my instructions, she returned to my previous question. "Anyway, yes, Jared did tell me that you'd gone back. Plus, I couldn't get in to see you last month."

"I'd apologize for that, but I'm not sorry I wasn't here," I laughed. "I was exactly where I needed to be," I added seriously, letting my mind wander to Bella for just a split second.

My thoughts were lulled back to the clinic when Kim spoke again. "With your pen pal, right?"

I rolled away from the table and stood, washing my hands in the sink. Looking back up at Kim, I said, "Yes. Bella." I felt a Cheshire cat grin stretch across my face as I uttered her name.

"Okay, that expression implies something more than pen pals." Kim was eyeing me critically. _Did I not explain everything to Jared yet? Wow, I'm a really crummy friend._

"You're right, it does," I acknowledged her statement. "But," I glanced at my watch again, "I'm a bit behind schedule right now." Her face fell slightly, so I hurriedly added, "Listen, I know it's been too long since we've all spent any time together. Let me talk to Bella, you talk to Jared, and maybe we can get together this weekend? You guys could come over to our place for dinner or something."

"Wait a minute. What do you mean 'you'll talk to Bella'? And 'our place'?"

I couldn't keep the corners of my mouth from turning up slightly at her questions. "Behind schedule," I reminded her. "What about that dinner invite, though?"

"It sounds great. I can tell you right now, though, that tonight's the only night Jared's not on call, so this weekend is definitely out." She paused, thinking. "I don't know for sure when we'd be able to come over after that without checking our schedules. Unless you want to get together tonight?"

I paused, thinking this through. I really wanted Bella to get to meet my friends here; she hadn't met anyone outside of my family and her co-workers, and even though she didn't seem unhappy, I thought it would be nice if we had people we could count on to do things with besides my parents. I knew I couldn't commit without at least talking to Bella on the phone first, though. "Have Jared call me around six-ish and we'll figure it out," I told her.

"Fair enough," she replied, smiling. "Thanks, Edward. I'll see you soon."

With a brief nod, I left the room.

I had two more patients after Kim, both just with the common cold. Unfortunately, there was very little I could do for them. I washed my hands very carefully after dealing with both of them in an attempt to avoid catching it myself. The last thing I wanted was to bring something home for Bella to catch. After half an hour, I was finally able to retreat to my office and grab my cell phone from my top desk drawer. There was one text from Bella which had come in at 2:30. I hoped that meant she'd made it home by then and hadn't had to deal with James today. Because I worked closer to the apartment than she did, I'd beaten her home most days and met her in the lobby. But with her having taken a partial day today for the appointment, she had gone home alone. Her message was a simple _I love you._ Just as I finished reading it, it disappeared to reveal the caller ID indicating that Jared was calling me. "Hello?" I answered the phone.

"Hey, man, Kim tells me you want to get together sometime soon," he replied, jumping right to the chase.

"Yeah, but I haven't had a chance to talk to Bella yet. I really want you guys to meet her, but I can't spring this on her without making sure she's up for company."

"Yeah, Kim mentioned that. So, Bella's here?"

I sighed. I really had been a terrible friend. "It's been too long since I talked to you," I muttered, hating myself for having allowed this to happen. I mean, Bella was…well, _Bella_, and I'd allowed myself to get so distracted by her that I'd neglected my other friends. So, I launched into the abbreviated version of mine and Bella's story, doing my best to leave out the gory details of how her relationship with Emmett had ended, only that it _had._ And the pregnancy. That was a very real part of our lives now, but it wasn't necessary to tell Jared yet. We could tell them in a few weeks, once we knew a few more things for sure.

When I finished, Jared said, "Wow. Just…wow. That's quite a story Edward."

"I know," I told him. "I feel like the luckiest SOB in the world right now, and I don't want to do anything, no matter how minute, to mess this up."

"Alright, well, Kim told you that tonight's the one night this week that I'm not on call in the ER, right?"

"Yeah, she did. I hope it'll work out, but again, I need to check in at home first."

"Boy, you sound a right bit different than you did the last time I saw you. As I recall, you were pretty tense over everything that was going on between the two of you not so long ago."

"I was. But, at the risk of sounding like an immature schoolboy, I won." He burst out laughing and I realized that the immature schoolboy I'd just referenced was exactly what I sounded like, and I felt the need to somehow take that remark back in the hopes that it wouldn't come back to bite me in the behind later. "Not that Bella was a prize to be competed over, of course."

"Of course," Jared repeated, still laughing at me.

Now I knew I was in trouble. "Man, you've gotta promise me you won't mention that again," I implored.

"You know I'd never hang you out to dry like that," he said.

"Thanks," I breathed.

"Okay, call your 'missus' and let me know."

I paused for just a moment, thinking that over. It seemed funny that he'd choose that word, considering that was exactly what I wanted to make her, but simply couldn't. Not yet. "Yeah, alright. I'll call you back in a few."

"Later."

I snapped my phone shut only to open it right back up and dial Bella. As soon as she answered, I said, "How would you feel about having company over tonight?"

"What do you mean, 'company'?" she asked, sounding nervous.

"I ran into an old friend today. You remember me telling you about my friend Jared, right?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line and then she slowly responded, "I don't think you've mentioned him since we've gotten together, but I do vaguely recall the name from some of your old letters. You went to medical school together, right?" She sounded unsure of herself.

"Yes," I told her, confirming her suspicion. "Well, his wife was a patient today, and I realized that it's been ages since I've seen them. I'd love for you to meet them, and tonight works the best for them. So what do you say?"

"That's fine, I guess," she said, sounding reluctant.

"No, I want your honest opinion," I told her. "Just because tonight's best for them doesn't mean it has to be the best for us. If you're tired or you just want a quiet night or something, it's fine with me. Just tell me what you're thinking, baby. I can't help you and do what's best for you if you're not open with me."

"Well, _honestly_," I got the feeling she was mocking me just a tad with her tone, "a bit more notice would be nice. I do want to meet your friends, but this is so last minute."

"Okay, no problem. I'll set up something for the next time Jared's not working."

"No, don't do that. If I'm the only holdout among four, then it's ridiculous to cancel on my account."

"It's not set in stone, Bella," I reminded her.

"Edward, call him back and get them here around eight. Just pick up a frozen lasagna or something on your way. It'll be good for me to meet your friends. I still don't really know anyone here outside of work and besides, they're important to you so they're important to me too; I really do want to get to know the people you are close to."

"Thank you Bella for being so understanding; it will be great, you'll all get along really well, I'm certain of it." I felt so relieved that the situation seemed to be diffused—for now. Leaning back in my seat, I turned the key in the ignition. Sometime during the conversation, I'd walked from the office to the car. I wasn't entirely sure when that had happened, I realized. _Oh, well_. "I really am sorry I didn't think this through and ask you first."

"It's fine," she said in a voice that had me clearly picturing her eyes rolling while she spoke. "But seriously, if you come home without something easy to cook, well…just don't, okay? And something that will go good with salad, okay? We've got that lettuce and tomato to use up."

I couldn't help but chuckle slightly at her threat. "I'm gonna let you go now, okay? I'll stop at the grocery store and be home before Jared and Kim arrive, I promise."

"You better."

"I will. I love you. Bye."

"Love you, too."

The call disconnected. I had one more quick call to make before I actually pulled out of the lot. I redialed Jared's number and let him know that Bella had agreed to tonight at eight. Then I was off to the grocery store.

When I walked into the store, the floral department was close to the door; I couldn't help but stop, especially since I'd made my girl upset. I wanted to bring more than just the food home with me. Right near the counter, I found the perfect thing: a glass vase full of pink irises and carnations, white daisies, and red roses with just the right amount of foliage to make the flowers really pop.

Then I realized that it had been awhile since I'd written anything outside of a text message to Bella. So I grabbed one of those little cards from the display on the florist's counter and wrote, choosing my words carefully. I only had room for about two sentences to convey everything I wanted to say to her. With the floral department closed for the evening, I had the luxury of writing without a salesperson hovering.

_Bella,_

_Again, my sincerest apologies for not giving you more notice about this evening. It was never my intention to upset you, and while I realize that I can't avoid doing just that all the time, I'll do my best to keep those times to a minimum. I love you._

There was much more that I wanted to say, but I was out of room. So I finished the card by signing it,

_Always, Edward. _

Armed with the vase, I made my way through the frozen foods department, selecting a lasagna just as Bella had suggested, then to the bakery for garlic bread, and over to the wine aisles for a couple of bottles. I knew they liked wine but I wasn't sure whether they preferred red or white so I picked up both varieties, two bottles of Yellow Tail, one Pinot Grigio and one Shiraz, just to be on the safe side; and a bottle of Sparkling Grape Juice in white for Bella. Pleased with my selections, I made my way back to the checkout line, then out the door once I'd paid.

When I arrived back at the apartment building, I was greeted by James in the lobby. Over the past month, I'd started to understand Bella's hesitation around him. He was still very cordial—polite even—towards me, and had I still lived alone there would be nothing in his behavior to tip me off. But there had been little things that had shown me Bella's hesitation toward him. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but he did seem different, especially now that she was here all the time. I had too much going on tonight to worry about him, though. Although, I made a vow to myself that if he ever did anything to validate her fears and concerns, I would take him to the mat over it.

So with a simple, curt nod, I hurried past him toward the elevator. Then I realized that while not necessary, it would be decent for me to let him know that Bella and I were expecting guests tonight. So with a silent sigh, I turned on my heel and returned to the counter where he was working. He looked up at me when I approached. "Good evening, James."

"Good evening, Doctor."

"Miss Swan and I are expecting guests this evening. Perhaps you recall my friends, Jared and Kim Kumler? They will be arriving around eight o'clock. You can send them straight up, there's no need to buzz us first."

He eyed me with what could only be described as jealousy, and I wasn't entirely sure why. Could it be his reaction was at the mention of Bella? I couldn't really blame him if that's what it was; after all, I'd probably worn that exact same expression for the weeks leading up to June 19th. Then he smoothed his features out and replied, "Very well, sir. I'll send the Kumlers up when they arrive."

"Thank you," I responded shortly, picking up the vase from the counter where I'd set it down while I talked to him and walking back to the elevator. I exited the elevator and entered our apartment, presenting Bella with the flowers and a kiss.

"These are gorgeous. You really didn't have to buy me flowers, but thank you, Edward. I love them," she gushed at the sight of them. I was glad she liked them; I didn't buy flowers often, but when I did, I had a decent eye for them, thanks to my mother, the interior designer.

"You're very welcome," I whispered into her hair.

The evening went off without a hitch, and Bella and Kim got on marvelously. I mentally kicked myself for not setting this up before. By the time Jared and Kim were ready to leave, the girls had already set up a lunch date for the weekend.

"You've changed this guy, Bella," Jared told her suddenly at the end, landing a heavy hand on my shoulder.

"How so?" she asked with something of a combination between confusion and a smirk.

"He's just so much happier with you here; it's kind of hard to explain."

"People are saying the same thing about me," Bella murmured.

"I guess you guys are perfect for each other then," Kim said kindly. I saw Bella's blush, and frankly felt a bit of one of my own, just on the tops of my ears.

"Okay, now that you guys have thoroughly embarrassed both of us," I said, draping one arm over Bella's shoulders, "thank you for coming." It was a kind way of ushering them out the door. It had been a fabulous evening, but I knew Bella was getting tired.

"Thank you for having us," Kim said, always the diplomatic one in their marriage. She grabbed her husband's hand and pulled him out the door with a simple, "I'll see you on Saturday, Bella."

"I'm looking forward to it. Good night you guys. It was a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Jared told her. And then they were gone.

With the door shut behind them, Bella's eyes looked almost instantly droopy. I swept her up in my arms and told her, "Thank you for agreeing to do this tonight. I know you weren't really feeling up to guests, but I think it went rather well, don't you?"

"Yes, it did. I really like them. And you know, I'm glad you invited them."

By the time we reached the bedroom, the only thing on either of our minds was sleep.

x-x-x

Saturday afternoon while Bella was at lunch with Kim, I got a call from Mr. Jenks, the probate lawyer on my grandfather's estate. He called to let me know that everything had been settled and because no one was contesting the will, he had been able to push it through the courts very quickly.

"So, what does this mean?" I asked him. Bella would have understood his legalese mumbo-jumbo, but I didn't really have a clue what he was saying to me. I understood biology and medicine, not law.

"This means, Dr. Cullen, that you are free to take possession of the house right away. You could move in today if you wanted to. Or if you're planning to sell, then you would be within your rights to do that as well."

"You're kidding!" I exclaimed. This was fantastic news.

"I know a good real estate agent if you're looking to sell," Jenks continued, but I cut him off.

"No, thank you. We're planning on living there. I just didn't expect it to happen so soon."

"It was a very straight forward will without too many stipulations. Mr. Platt was very well prepared, and since none of the beneficiaries of the will voiced any complaints, it was a very cut and dry case."

"This is excellent. Thank you so much."

"You're very welcome."

"So, can I go visit the house right away? Or is there something else I need to do?" I'd never inherited a house before; I didn't really know the proper procedure.

Bella walked in just then and I motioned her over to me, wrapping her in a one-armed hug. _Who is it? _she mouthed.

_Jenks, the probate lawyer,_ I mouthed back. Her eyes lit up in excitement at that news. Through the phone, I heard the voice of the lawyer again. "I'll need you to come to my office and sign some papers as soon as you're able. Can you come Monday morning?"

"I work from seven to six," I told him.

"That's okay. Come after; I'll stay late for you."

"Are you sure? That's really going above and beyond, Mr. Jenks."

"It's my pleasure, Dr. Cullen, really."

"Okay, great, then. We'll be in Monday evening. Can we go into the house now though, just to see it?" I repeated my question from a moment before, the one he hadn't answered.

"Do you have a key?"

"Yes." I'd had a key to the house since I was eighteen; visiting my grandparents had been one of my favorite ways to spend time as a young adult.

"Then feel free. I'll see you on Monday."

"Thanks," I told him again before hanging up the phone. As soon as my phone was safely stowed back in my pocket, I turned to Bella. "How would you like to go see your new house?"

We drove in my car to Stone Park and before long, there it was: my grandparent's beautiful house. When I unlocked the door, everything was suddenly much more difficult than I'd expected it would be to return here. I felt a slight constricting in my chest when we entered the foyer and I saw my grandmother's white table against the wall on the right. I was even beginning to wonder if this was the right thing to do after all; could I do this? Could I live in this house that held so many memories for me? Some of my earliest memories, even. As a family, we'd come here every single week for Sunday dinner, my parents, Jasper and me. And when I'd been presented a key for my eighteenth birthday, I came even more frequently than that. Every time I just needed someone to talk to and I didn't feel like talking to my dad or my mom, especially during college and medical school, I came here.

Suddenly, a less pleasant memory entered my mind. I was hit with the unwelcome sight of my grandfather in the hospital bed, and the feeling of being ushered out by dozens of doctors and nurses when his heart monitor went crazy; the closing of the blinds over that window, and the doctor's apologetic look when he exited the room.

"Are you okay?" Bella's voice broke through my haze.

I blinked and looked down at her. She looked truly concerned. And seeing her looking at me like that, her face full of emotion and love made me realize that this was the right place for us to be; or at least it would be soon. "Yeah, I'm good," I told her. "The house just invoked a few memories in me."

"Is it going to be too hard for you to live here?" And that's why I loved her. She was always able to pinpoint exactly what was wrong with me and she would sacrifice what she wanted to make me happy. I knew she really wanted this house; she'd gushed about how beautiful it was for hours after we returned to the apartment when I first brought her here, and then when I'd told her that I'd—we'd—inherited it, she had been beyond words. Of course, part of that was the timing of my revelation, in the restaurant with her parents, but still…

"No, I want to keep the house," I told her. I did, too. As hard as it was to be in the house, I knew it would be even harder to sell it. "Memories are good, and I'm looking forward to adding our memories to those that I already have of this place."

"Okay," she said, smiling at me and taking my hand in her little one. "So what do we do first?"

"Let's start by just doing a walk through," I suggested. "Maybe we can pick which room will be which. You know, tentatively."

"That sounds good." So with our fingers intertwined, we started a slow walk through the house, stopping first in the main room—the living room—just on the other side of the foyer. Because everything had happened so suddenly seven weeks previously, everything was still here; furniture, bedding, clothes. It would take a lot of work to get the place ready to move our stuff in. "It's such a beautiful big room, the high ceilings, the fireplace, all those windows and the view; the way it is decorated and the furnishings look so warm and inviting. I really love their tastes so much, early colonial I think. You know, Edward," Bella dropped my hand and started walking around the living room, running her fingers over the sofa and the mantle, "it's perfect the way it is, right now. I can't imagine the place with any other furniture than what's already here."

"Me, neither. But what are you suggesting?"

"I don't know, really," she shrugged. "I mean, we'll have to replace a few things, of course, but I don't know…there's just something about this room. I don't want to change a thing." She paused at the French doors and looked out of them to the backyard. I walked up behind her and gazing out at the perfectly manicured lawn—I'd continued to pay the landscaping crew so that the place wouldn't get overgrown while we waited for the court system—and all I could see was a play structure that wasn't there, but I wanted to install. Gazing up at the huge oak tree in the far corner of the yard, I imagined a tree house. With one hand on the glass window and the other on Bella's back, I smiled.

"Okay," I agreed. "We'll keep this room the same. I want to make a few changes to the yard, though," I told her. "Make it a little more kid-friendly. We've got a few years before we'll need it, but I want to put a play structure there," I pointed to the spot I'd just been gazing at, "And a tree house in that tree," I pointed out the oak.

"Wow, you're really getting into this, aren't you?"

"Of course. But like I said, we've got a few years before that's necessary, so for now, let's look at the rest of the house." She nodded sweetly and we—reluctantly it seemed—turned back to the room. "Where do you want to look first?" I asked her.

"Let's start in the kitchen and work our way around," she suggested.

"Sounds good." With my arm wrapped around her shoulders, I guided her to the through the casual dining room to the kitchen where Bella spent several minutes looking through the cabinets and drawers.

"I am so overwhelmed by this. I really don't know what to do here," she said when she'd closed the last drawer. "I mean, I don't want to suggest getting rid of anything that you might want. But at the same time, I kind of like most of my stuff. You know what I mean?"

"I'll tell you what. We've agreed on keeping the furniture in the main room, right?"

"Yeah."

"The only other thing I feel any sort of attachment to is the desk in the study."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Hm," she hummed. "Okay. Well, what's the normal way to go about this, then? An estate sale or something?"

"Yeah, I think so," I agreed. "I bet my mom will know more and help us out. Plus, there might be some things here that she wants. I'd hate to sell something that she wants, just because it wasn't specifically mentioned in the will. I'll call her as soon as we're done here."

Bella hadn't had the opportunity to see most of the bedrooms the last time we were here, so I took her hand and led her to the master suite next, which was on the opposite side of the living room from the kitchen, still on the first floor. We entered the room and I showed her around; there was a large bay window overlooking the backyard and a large master bath complete with a whirlpool tub. Her eyes grew in wonder at that site. "We could both fit in that tub. At the same time," she marveled.

"You dirty, dirty girl, Bella," I whispered in her ear. She turned beet red almost instantly. But, not wanting to allow either of us to get distracted from why we were here—to look around the house, not to _christen it_; not yet, anyway—I pulled her out of the bathroom. In front of the master bedroom and adjacent to the bathroom there was another room my grandparents used as a study. It had a little bathroom off to the side between it and the living room and its own closet. "I think the study would make the best nursery. It's the only other bedroom on this floor." I showed her the room and she agreed with the most radiant expression on her face, so full of excitement and happiness and love. So beautiful.

"Oh, Edward, I think so too, this will make a perfect nursery. It's not too big or too small and convenient to our bedroom and the living room and even the kitchen. It's perfect!"

So it was decided then; we'd pull the desk out and move it to one of the upstairs bedrooms. The second upstairs bedroom would become the guest room, and when our child got older, we'd explore the option of letting him or her move upstairs for more privacy. Again, though, that was several years away.

By the time we left the house, we were both pleased with the way the day had progressed. I was happy that I would get to keep some part of my grandfather and grandmother alive with me, even if it was just through keeping their material possessions. Someday, I'd figure out a way to honor them even more.

**Thanks for reading. If you find that you can't review, that's probably because you reviewed my chapter 21 last week, before I took down the preface. In hindsight, I shouldn't have done that, but I can't go back and put it back in now… So I'm stuck. Anyway, feel free to PM me your review, or you can message it to on twitter (link's on my profile). Sorry for the confusion. **

**I've added pics of the flower arrangement as well as the exterior of the house and the floor plan to my photobucket account. Links are on my profile :). And twitter! If you haven't found me, come on! It's great fun and I'd love to chat with you! The link for that is on my profile, too.**

**And, though it probably doesn't really affect you guys, last week, PP got accepted to ! I'm very excited about this, even though the readers over there are about 20 chapter behind you guys (and they don't get the preface…lol). Thanks to all of you for your continued support! **

**Until next week…**


	23. Eros and Agape

**A/N: First the normal stuff: **

**I don't own **_**Twilight**_**. **

**Special thanks to my friends, Gerri (super beta extraordinaire) and Rory (the best pre-reader a girl could hope for), for making my story look like a super hero with their beautiful red and blue correction marks :). **

**And of course, thanks to you, for reading.**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: ÉROS AND AGÁPE**

**Bella**

Just as he'd promised, Edward called his mom as soon as we left the house, but before he could get out much more than a 'hi, Mom,' she was gushing over how it had been too long since we'd been to their house and insisted that we come over tonight. This was all done over the speaker phone while he was driving, so I heard everything. It had taken a great deal of will power not to bust up laughing at Esme's near pleading. From her tone of voice, you'd never know that we had just been over to her house the previous weekend. I knew that we would continuethe weekend tradition of visiting his parents just as his family had visited Esme's parents when he was a child. I was a little sad that we wouldn't be able to have that tradition with my parents, but I also loved that we would get to have it with his. It was a fine line to walk.

"Do you want to go over there tonight?" he whispered to me while Esme was chattering away.

"I'd love to," I whispered back. "Besides, I think we need to; we haven't told them our news yet."

A flash of nervousness crossed his features, but it was gone before I could comment on it. Even though the look was brief, it was enough to make me nervous, too. Edward had assured me that his mother would take the news well, but despite that, I was afraid—terrified, really—to be there when we told them. And with those thoughts, the nausea hit again. I'd been sick most days ever since that first time in the bathroom of my Seattle apartment, but never this late in the day. I felt it coming, though, and I was able to blurt out, "Pull over!" to Edward before anything came up.

He recognized my look immediately and spoke over his mother who was still prattling away on the speaker phone. "Hey, Mom, we'll be there tonight. I've got to go for now, though." He pushed a button on his phone, disconnecting the call before Esme could respond. Within just a few seconds of hanging up on his mother, he had pulled over to the shoulder and was holding my hair back while I sat sideways with the door of his Volvo open, emptying my stomach's contents into the brush. When I was finished, I leaned my head back and mumbled, "When is this going to be over?"

"I'm sorry, baby," he murmured. "If I could take this part away, or do it for you, I would."

"You would not do it for me," I told him with my eyes closed. "And besides, I'd never ask you to. I wouldn't wish this on anyone." It seriously was getting pretty old pretty fast. I mean, losing nearly everything I ate? Because _morning sickness _barely covered it. I was sick all hours of the day, and it varied from day to day. The one consistent thing was that I was sick at least once a day. I just hoped that since I'd lost the lunch I'd shared with Kim today that I'd somehow manage to keep my dinner down later.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. I just wish I would quit getting sick every day."

"It'll pass," Edward promised.

I looked at him skeptically. "When?"

"On average, at about twelve to sixteen weeks. Of course, some women are sick much longer."

"So I've got at least another month or two of this?" That thought alone was almost enough to make me want to vomit again.

"I'm sorry," he said again.

"It's not your fault," I told him, swinging my legs back into the car and pulling the door shut. "I'm better now. Let's go."

The rest of the afternoon passed pleasantly. That was the one good—well, not _good_, but tolerable—thing about the 'morning' sickness. It didn't linger. I was sick for a few minutes, then fine, usually for the rest of the day. With just a little coaxing—begging, really—from me, Edward agreed to take my truck to his parents' house, with me driving.

"So, what's your plan for this beast? You know, long term?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, not quite understanding. Was he really suggesting that I get rid of my truck? It had gotten me through thick and thin, had moved with me first from Forks to Seattle, and now from Seattle to Chicago. I couldn't imagine driving anything else.

"Well, and don't think I'm trying to be all domineering or anything, because I'm not, but I don't think it's really a family-friendly vehicle, you know? Don't you want something a little more…I don't know, something with a place for a carseat?"

I hadn't even considered that. How selfish was I? I knew that hadn't been his intention, but I was so ashamed in that moment that I couldn't even look at him when I responded. "I hadn't thought of that." My voice was barely above a whisper.

Edward rested one hand on my shoulder, and said, "You don't have to think about it now. It was just something I've kind of been wondering, and since you hadn't brought it up yet, well…" His voice trailed off at the end, making me feel even worse.

"How am I going to do this?"

"Do what?"

"How am I going to be a good mom if I hadn't even thought of something as simple as getting a kid-safe car?"

"Bella, honestly, it's not that big of a deal. This is all very new to you, to me, too."

"Yeah, but you're still thinking of ways to make it better," I argued.

"You'll get there." There was a promise inherent in his voice, and I knew he was right. I would get there, there was no doubt about that. I just wished I would get there quickly. The baby wasn't even born yet and I was already feeling like a lousy mother. "Stop it," he admonished me.

"Stop what?" I asked miserably.

"That. Right there. I can see in your face, even when you're not speaking, that you're beating yourself up over this, and that was never my intention when I asked you the question. I was honestly curious."

"You're right, though. I will need something more family-friendly before our baby is born. It's just I love my truck; it holds a lot of memories for me and I'm not sure I want to let it go until I really have to. I'll tell you what, let's get a blue book value and list it online or something maybe after Christmas. That should give us plenty of time to sell it before March."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. It's time to say goodbye." I was a little sad about that, but at the same time, I knew that it was just a vehicle. He nodded and moved his hand down my arm until he was holding my hand in his. I continued driving until we reached his parents' house; I was pleased with myself for having remembered the way without needing to ask Edward for directions. Once I'd parked in the same spot that Edward usually parked his car in when we visited, he climbed out quickly. I knew better by now than to get out myself. He was chivalrous beyond what was strictly necessary, but it was rather nice. Within just a few seconds, he was at my door, holding out his hand to help me down. I willingly accepted it and once he'd slammed the truck door shut behind me, we were making our way up the path.

Edward just opened the door and walked in; he always did that, and it made me feel a little weird. When I went to my parents' house, I always knocked. But neither Carlisle nor Esme seemed to mind when Edward just walked in, so I followed his cue and tried to hide my discomfort. _Might as well get used to it; they don't mind, and you're going to be spending a lot of time here so there's no reason to feel uncomfortable about it. _

By the time we entered the living room and were greeted with such a warm welcome from Edward's family, I knew that I really was being silly about feeling awkward about the door thing. Esme hurried over to us and hugged first Edward then me. She was like that every time, and it really did wonders in alleviating some of my anxiousness in being so far away from my own mother right now. Carlisle, ever the gracious host, was standing behind his mini bar, already pouring Edward's drink. "Bella?" he asked, indicating that he wasn't sure what I'd like to drink. I'd been requesting a variety of non-alcoholic drinks ever since Edward and I had returned from Seattle, and so far, no one had mentioned it.

"Just a club soda tonight, thanks," I told him.

He nodded slightly and just a moment later walked around the bar with two glasses. We sat down, and conversation happened all around me amongst the Cullens. I was lost in thought, processing so many different things, that I missed most of it. When I felt Edward's hand on my knee, I blinked out of my reverie and looked over at him. He was gazing reverently at me, and I felt like he was trying to communicate silently with his eyes. I just gazed back at him, not entirely sure what he was trying to tell me. We'd agreed before we left that we'd give our news after dinner with the hope that everyone would be a little happier and more accepting of news if they weren't battling hunger no matter how slight.

Apparently, with my not getting what he was trying to convey, however, we held each other's eyes too long. "Are you guys okay?" Jasper interrupted our silent non-conversation. I felt bad for not figuring out Edward's silent cues and causing a distraction.

I was just about to apologize and insist that they continue their conversation when Edward spoke first. "Actually, there's something we need to tell you guys."

I felt my face heat as I cast a death glare at Edward. I knew we had to give the news, and tonight, but I was expecting to have another hour at least. The three of them looked at the two of us questioningly, and Edward continued without acknowledging my glare.

"What's going on?" Carlisle asked.

I peeked over at Edward; he was looking right at his dad. I turned my gaze to Esme and waited for Edward to speak.

"I know this is sudden and unplanned," he began, "but you guys first need to know that Bella and I have talked this over very carefully and no matter what you say, nothing is going to change what we've decided." They all continued to just look at us expectantly, not saying anything. The tension felt thick, but it could just have been me. Moving his arm from my knee and wrapping it protectively around my shoulder, Edward said, "We're having a baby."

Now the tension really was thick. I was absolutely terrified. I held my hands together in my lap, clenching them together so tightly that they began to ache just to keep them from shaking. I just knew that they were going to freak out and ask me to leave and never come back. I'd stolen their son from them, made him a father before they were ready for him to be one. And what was worse, we didn't even know if he was the father yet. I wondered if he was going to mention that.

They continued to stare at us for what felt like about ten hours, but was probably no more than half a minute. I moved my gaze away from Esme to the men; even Jasper looked stunned. _One point for Alice,_ I thought. At least she hadn't told anyone else.

And then, nearly as quickly as it had risen, the stress in the room dissipated. The difference was palpable, and it threw me a little off guard. I glanced over at Edward out of the corner of my eye, and he was smiling. Grinning from ear to ear. Looking back at Esme, I saw Edward's expression mirrored in her face. He'd told me that his family would be happy, especially his mother. And it looked like he was right. I still felt a bit like a deer in the headlights, though. I couldn't shake the feeling that they were all staring at me, which I supposed was because they were. But not in a bad way; they were happy.

"Congratulations," Jasper was the first one to speak. "That's great, you guys."

"I'm so happy," Esme gushed, coming over to us and embracing me in a hug. "And you," she admonished Edward, slapping his shoulder in a playful manner, "how long have you guys known? And you're just now telling us?"

"Well, it's still really early," I told her. "We just had our first doctor's appointment this week, and we wanted to wait until after that to tell you guys because, well, just to be sure that everything was okay," I hurriedly explained. I hoped she understood my words, I spoke them so fast I wasn't sure how clearly they'd come out.

"That's perfectly understandable," Esme assured me.

I couldn't understand their reaction. It was nothing like my parents' had been. I mean, they'd been okay, but definitely not so pleased so quickly. And then, when Carlisle spoke, I understood perfectly. "Éros and agápe," he said quietly. "That's what you two share."

Edward leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Medicine isn't my father's only passion; he's also an amateur linguist. Those words…"

I cut him off, unable to take my eyes off of Carlisle. "I know. Passionate love and unconditional love."

"How did you know that?" Edward asked.

"I took a simple Greek course in law school; it went along with the Latin that I had to learn to understand the legal terms better."

"Very good, Bella," Carlisle praised me. "Those definitions are pretty much spot-on."

"Do you really see those qualities in us?"

"I do."

That was probably the biggest compliment he could have given, and it was exactly what I needed to hear that night. My heart swelled with love for this family; I was so glad to be bringing our child into such a loving, warm group of people. I couldn't imagine anything better. "Thank you," I murmured, still looking at Carlisle, though my thanks was meant for all of them.

"So, when's the big day?" Esme suddenly asked, breaking through the seriousness of the moment. My breath hitched in my throat and both Edward and I looked up at her with shock written all over our faces. "The due date," she clarified. Then she leaned down and whispered in Edward's ear loud enough for me to hear. I wasn't sure if she meant to be that loud, but she was. "Although, I do hope you're planning on making an honest woman of her before too long, dear," were her words, correctly interpreting the looks on our faces.

I cleared my throat as Esme stood upright again. "Um, it's March 12th," I told her.

"Oh, good, so we have plenty of time to get the house ready," she said contemplatively, tapping her chin in thought.

"That's actually something else we wanted to talk to you about while we were here, Mom," Edward said.

"Oh really? What specifically?"

"Well, I got a call from Jenks this morning and everything's gone through probate. Your parents' home is officially Bella's and mine. I'm meeting him on Monday to sign the papers. He said it was okay for Bella and me to look at the house today, though, so we went over there for a little while this afternoon." Jasper snorted, trying to hide his laughter, but everyone mostly ignored him. Edward shot him a look that said, _No, you perv! _And he calmed down quickly. "_Anyway_," Edward continued, glaring at his brother one more time for good measure, "we decided that we wanted to keep the furniture in the living room, and I want to keep the desk in Grandpa's study. Other than that, though, we want to bring our own stuff in. Can you help us set up an estate sale and get the house ready to move our stuff in? Of course, if there's anything any of you want, take it before the sale, but other than the main room and the desk, we'll need the house empty."

"That's a big job, Edward," Esme said.

"I know. I'm sorry I even have to ask. I know it'll probably be hard for you, going through your parents' things and selling them, but honestly Mom, if we had another choice, we'd take it."

"I know you would. I'd be honored to help you get the house ready. Don't take that to mean that I intend to do the whole job myself, though. I know you're both busy with your careers, but can we set aside, say five or six hours each weekend to get the job done? I'll work on it when I can during the weekdays, but I want a commitment from the two of you to help on the weekends. Deal?"

"Of course, Mom. Thank you," Edward told her. I nodded happily, feeling a bit like a bobble-head doll, but unable to form words as I was still thinking through the huge compliment Carlisle had paid us.

x-x-x

By the time we got home, I was in tears. It was irrational, but I couldn't control it. I didn't know why I was crying at first. When Edward spoke to me, I figured it out, though.

"What's wrong, love? They're not upset, just like I told you. Everything's fine, they're happy and accepting."

Those three words—happy and accepting—set me off anew. Unreasonable as it was, _that_ was why I was upset. "I miss my mom," I all but wailed. I gulped and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm myself. "Don't get me wrong, your family's great and I love them all, but I've never been this far from my mom before, and I miss her. I thought this would be easier than it is. I mean, not seeing her voluntarily is one thing, but not being able to is very different." I was glad that I had calmed down enough to talk and express myself. Silent tears were still escaping my eyes and flowing down my cheeks, but at least I was coherent.

"Oh, Bella," he said softly, pulling me into his lap. I felt myself melting against him almost instantly, and while it felt good—and was the best he could do—he still wasn't quite what I needed. He stroked my hair and we sat silently for awhile. I felt a little guilty for my outburst, but at the same time it felt kind of nice to get that off my chest. I wasn't sure how long I'd been holding that in. In all actuality, I hadn't realized that I was holding that in. After about ten minutes of sitting silently together, Edward spoke again. "Your mom's a schoolteacher, right?"

I was a little confused, but I answered his question. "Yes, she is. She teaches kindergarten. She's done that for as long as I can remember."

He shifted me off of his lap, and I did my best to hide the hurt expression I felt gracing my features. "I need to check something online. Why don't you call your mom? You'll feel better, and I'll be back soon." He rose from the couch and started walking to the corner of the room where his computer desk was and picked up his laptop. "I'll let you have some privacy," he said with a small smile as he carried his computer to the bedroom. "Go ahead," he urged from the bedroom door when I still hadn't moved. I eyed him questioningly. "I don't have an ulterior motive. But I can see that you need some alone time to talk to your mom."

"Thanks," I said quietly. Edward nodded and disappeared into the bedroom. I picked up my cell phone and dialed my mother's number. It was the same number she'd had since cell phones were fairly new, and a number I'd committed to memory nearly half my life ago.

"Bella, hi," my mom answered the phone on the second ring. She sounded surprised to hear from me. I was just glad to hear her voice.

"Hi, Mom," I said, emotion flooding through me.

"Are you okay, honey? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I just miss you."

"Oh, baby, I miss you, too. So, what's going on over there in Chicago?"

"A lot of stuff," I told her. "Work's busy. I just got my local bar exam results back yesterday, and I passed, so that's one stress off my shoulders."

"Congratulations, sweetheart. You know, your father and I are so proud of you. You've done so well for yourself, finishing college and law school."

"Thanks." Even though my mother was two thousand miles away, she still had an uncanny ability to embarrass me. "Edward's probate lawyer for his grandfather's estate called him today. Everything's done, so as soon as we can get the house cleared out we'll be able to move in."

"Wow, that was quick," she noted.

"I know," I agreed. "A lot of times it can take years, but Esme and Jasper were very cool with everything. Neither of them begrudged Edward any of Mr. Platt's wishes."

"That's so great. You've really found an amazing family to be a part of, Bella."

"I know. I'm really lucky. They've accepted me in like one of their own, too."

"I'm so happy for you. Really, sweetie. I mean, don't get me wrong, I miss you like crazy, but if you had to move away, you picked a good guy to do it with."

"I did. And I don't regret coming. I just miss you and Dad so much sometimes. I wish I could see you before Thanksgiving."

"Aw, Bella. I wish I could visit you, too."

Just then, Edward came out of our bedroom. _How is she? How are you? _He mouthed at me.

_Good. Thank you for convincing me to call._ I smiled a sincere smile at him to express my gratitude.

"Can I talk to her for just a second?" he whispered.

I nodded. "Hey, Mom? Edward just walked in and he wants to talk to you for a minute. Do you mind?"

"Of course not, honey," she said, although she sounded just a trifle confused by that suggestion.

I passed the phone to Edward who instantly lifted it to his ear and said, "Hi, Renée. Listen, I'm sure you could tell by talking to Bella, but she could really use a visit from you right now. When does school start back up again?" He paused, listening, and I eyed him speculatively. He simply held up one finger, the universal gesture for _wait a minute. _I sat down and crossed my arms impatiently while continuing to listen to Edward's side of the conversation. "That's perfect. So, do you think you'd be able come out next week? My treat?" My eyes popped, but Edward didn't look at me. He was focused on the conversation. "Of course I'm sure… No, you can't pay me back… I'm sure… No, Renee, seriously, I'm using my frequent flyer miles, it's really not costing me that much. Even if it was, it would be worth it, because I know that Bella needs to see you before November… Great, Renée. Thank you. I'll call you tomorrow with the details… Excellent. I'll let you talk to Bella again now." He smiled at me triumphantly and left me alone with my mother on the phone again.

"What was that all about?" I asked her as soon as I put the phone back up to my ear. "I got half of the conversation, but I'm still a little stunned at what I think I heard."

"He is definitely a keeper," my mom told me instead of specifically answering.

"You're really coming here?"

"Apparently," she replied, sounding a little dazed herself.

"Oh, Mom, it's going to be great. You can stay here with us, and see the new house, and, well, I'll have to work on the weekdays, but we'll spend the evenings and the weekend together. It'll be great. Oh, thank you!"

"Don't thank me," she said. "I'm just as surprised as you are about all of this. When did Edward have time to plan this?"

"I have no idea," I answered bluntly. "One minute I was all weepy and telling him how much I missed you and the next he was telling me I should call you and that he needed to look something up online. Then he came back out and talked to you."

"Wow. Well, he certainly moves fast, doesn't he?"

Edward reemerged again and smiled at me. I felt more happy and at ease than I had all day. "Hey, Mom, thanks for the chat. I'd probably better go now, though. I'll see you next week?"

"That's what I hear," she replied, laughing lightly.

"I love you, Mom."

"Love you, too, baby. See you soon."

I closed my phone quietly and lifted my gaze to Edward's face. "You are amazing. Have I ever told you that?"

"I'm not sure you have, Miss Swan," he replied playfully.

"Well, you are. How did you arrange that so quickly?"

"It's not actually arranged yet. I'll get it finalized tomorrow. I just needed to see how many reward miles I had saved up on my card before I could make the offer."

"Thank you for doing this for me," I said again, very seriously.

"It's my pleasure, really. I could tell that you really needed to see your mom again, and I thought it would be beneficial if she could come here and see your new…well, for lack of a better word, territory. I know you're happy here, but I think you'll be even better knowing that you really have your mom's blessing."

I smiled and nodded. I knew he was right. A visit from my mom would be exactly what I needed to assure me that I would be okay here.

**Thanks for reading, please review :). Reviews should work like normal this week, sorry again about the confusion last week. So, please, click that little link and leave me a message! **

**See you next week...**


	24. The Right Decision

**A/N: First the normal stuff: **

**I don't own **_**Twilight**_**. **

**Special thanks to my friends, Gerri (super beta extraordinaire) and Rory (the best pre-reader a girl could hope for), for making my story look like a super hero with their beautiful red and blue correction marks :). **

**And of course, thanks to you, for reading.**

**Thanks to all of you, I hit 300 reviews last week! Woo-hoo! Keep 'em coming :).**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: THE RIGHT DECISION**

**Bella**

Monday and Tuesday dragged, presumably because I was so excited to see my mom. I actually felt a little guilty expressing my thrill around Edward, as if for some reason he was no longer good enough for me. I knew that wasn't true, and I was pretty sure he wasn't even feeling that way, but I couldn't help the feelings anyway.

Renée's flight was scheduled to arrive Wednesday evening and she would get to stay until Sunday. That would give her the following Monday to recover from the trip and be ready for school to start on Tuesday. She and Edward had agreed that a flight arriving at O'Hare around eight in the evening was the best for all of us: Mom wouldn't have to be up terribly early in the morning for the trip, and neither Edward nor I would have to miss work to pick her up. Plus, eight o'clock wasn't so late that any of us would be uncomfortable that evening.

Edward and I had planned to meet at the airport right after work. Since he worked in the city—and had a more scheduled 'off' time most days than I did—I expected him to beat me there. However, my phone buzzed with an incoming text message at lunch time, effectively eliminating any chance of seeing him until probably the next day.

_Patient in hospital, having baby. I have to stay until she's delivered. I'll call you when I can, but I don't know when that will be. I love u. ~E_

I was torn. Part of me was kind of excited for Edward, getting to be such a big part of peoples' lives, delivering their child. I even wondered for a moment how he would balance his doctor-self with being a new father when it was our turn in that room. Before I could really process that thoroughly, another part of me, the selfish part, started worrying,_ what am I going to do now?_

I tried to suppress my insecurities, but I still had to address the nagging question that had been raised. I'd been to O'Hare plenty of times in the past few weeks, but never by myself. I mulled everything over and over in my head whenever I had even a second of free time all afternoon. By the time I was able to leave that evening, I'd made a decision. _Like it was really a choice, _I scoffed at myself_. You can manage picking your mom up from the airport, especially since you're the one who practically begged for this visit. _I could do it. Armed with the little slip of paper with Renée's gate number, I started my truck and drove the now familiar route on Interstate 290 back towards home.

Traffic was miserable, and when I was barely halfway there by 7:45, I sent my mom a text message letting her know that I was on my way and would be there as soon as I could. I knew she'd have her phone off, but hopefully she'd remember to turn it on as soon as she was off of the airplane; if she did, she'd get the message right away.

I inched along the interstate for another fifteen minutes, traveling only about two more miles during that time. I was cursing out loud at this point, knowing my mother's personality and the fact that no matter how many messages I sent, she wouldn't remember to power on her phone. There was no way she'd get the one I'd sent, so additional messages would be wasted. Her plane was landing right about now, and I figured that within fifteen or twenty minutes, she'd have gotten her luggage from baggage claim and would be wondering where I was. When she couldn't find either Edward or me, she'd freak out. Maybe then she'd turn on her phone to call me and would get my message. _One can hope_, I thought dismally. I still couldn't help beating myself up; I should've been there by now, waiting for her when she got off the plane, not twenty miles away still.

Another twelve minutes passed and I was now hoping that the baby couldn't hear me yet. I hated that I was cursing, but I was incredibly frustrated. I knew that doctors said that babies in-utero could hear well before they were born, and I didn't want my child to grow accustomed to those words coming out of my mouth. I was just glad that they didn't come out of my mouth often. This was an especially aggravating situation.

Finally, I made it past the problem: an overturned delivery truck blocking two of the three lanes. Once I'd driven past the truck, I was back up to cruising speed within seconds. "I'm sorry you heard me saying those naughty words, baby," I murmured, rubbing my belly. Just in case.

I made it to the airport by 8:40 and found my mom standing outside, waiting for me. Feeling exceptionally guilty, I pulled up to the curb and leaned over, throwing the passenger door open. My mother recognized me—well, my truck—immediately and climbed in, placing her suitcase at her feet. Once she'd slammed the door shut, I pulled slowly away from the curb and back to the interstate to head home.

"I am so sorry I'm late, Mom. Traffic was horrible, and…"

She cut me off. "Bella, it's fine. I got your message, and I knew you were on your way. I stayed inside where it was warmer and better lit until I saw you pull up. I may not live in a big city, but I know how they operate and that you aren't always in control of your surroundings."

"Are you freakin' kidding me?" I couldn't help asking.

"What do you mean? Did I say something wrong?"

I laughed. "No, Mom. I was just sure that you'd forget to turn your phone back on when you got off the plane, and on top of that, you're being incredibly understanding. I left you here in a city you've never been in to practically fend for yourself."

She laughed back now. "You know me too well," she assented. "I probably would have forgotten to turn the phone on, but I promised your father that I'd call him as soon as I was here, and I'd never forget a promise to him. That's what helped me remember to turn my phone back on. And your message chimed through before I'd even finished dialing Dad's number. I knew you'd be here as soon as you could. And as far as _fending for myself, _well, Bella, I am dangerously close to fifty. You should give me some credit." Before I could respond to that, she went on, "So, where's Edward?"

"He wanted to be here, but he had a patient go into labor. He said he'd call when he was able, but he may or may not make it home tonight."

"That's gotta be hard," Renée commented.

"Yeah, kind of. But it doesn't happen often. And after meeting one of his other doctor friends," I said, remembering Jared's crazy schedule as an ER doctor, "I'm just thankful every day that he's chosen to be a family doctor in a clinic rather than a hospital doctor. He works basically the same hours as I do, so we have the same time off most of the time."

"Well, that's great, Bella. You guys seem to have everything worked out already."

"Yeah, we do for the most part."

We were back at the apartment building by now, and getting out of the truck, I offered to help my mom with her bag. "To quote my beautiful daughter, _are you freakin' kidding me_?" she asked with a laugh. "No, you cannot help me with my bag Bella. It's only one bag plus my purse; I can manage. I came here to make you more comfortable, not to make you work harder taking care of me. And on top of all that, you are pregnant. I will be taking care of you this week, not the other way around. As much as I can, anyway, what with you being at work the next two days."

I didn't know what else to say, so I said the only thing I could think of in that instance: "I love you, Mom."

"I love you, too."

We entered the foyer of the apartment building, and I cringed internally. It was nighttime and Edward wasn't here; I'd have to deal with James on my own, and simply avoiding him wasn't really an option this time. I felt the need to introduce him to my mother so that hopefully, he wouldn't bother her since he'd know who she was and that she was allowed here.

With my heart beating in my chest, I linked my arm through my mom's and walked up to the desk the doormen used to monitor the building when there was no one around who needed their services. James was sitting there, staring at the small monitor.

"Good evening, James," I said in a shaky voice. _Deep breaths, Bella. Edward thinks he's okay, so he probably is. _

"Good evening, Miss Swan." I hadn't offered to let James call me by my given name like I had with Felix. I wanted him as distant as possible.

"This is my mother. She'll be staying with Dr. Cullen and me for the remainder of the week." I turned to my mother. "Mom, this is James, the nighttime doorman. I'll introduce you to Felix tomorrow."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Swan," he said with a slight nod.

"Good evening, James," my mother replied, smiling politely at him.

"Would you ladies like an escort upstairs?" James asked. I repressed a shudder, though I knew he was simply doing his job.

"No, thank you, James. We'll be fine."

"Very well. Good night Miss Swan, Mrs. Swan."

"Good night, James."

Once we were in the safety of the elevator, I allowed the shudder I'd held in to pass over my body. In a funny way, I actually felt a little better once I'd allowed my body's reaction to run its course. "What was that for?" my mom asked, laughing slightly at me.

"It's nothing, really. Just that guy, James, kind of gives me the creeps. I'll be glad when we move to the house and I won't have to see him anymore."

"Bella," my mother admonished me. "That is not very nice. I know I raised you better than that."

"I'm sorry, Mom. There's just something about him that bothers me. I can't quite put my finger on it, but honestly, there's a reason I try not to come home alone at night. Edward's usually home to walk up with me."

The elevator stopped on our floor, and I got out, walking over to the door to mine and Edward's apartment. Once we were inside, I said apologetically, "You'll have to sleep on the couch. The guest room leaves something to be desired." A mental picture of the last time I'd seen the _guest room_ filled my mind. It was more of a storage room than a guest room and now even more so, since it was filled from floor to ceiling with not only Edward's things but mine as well. And even after we'd added my things to the room, we'd _still _needed that storage unit for the rest. I wondered what Edward had been thinking when he'd described it as a guest room to me the first time I was here.

"The couch is fine, sweetheart," my mother told me.

"So, I guess it'll just be us tonight. What do you want to do?"

"This is your turf, Bella. What would you normally do on a Wednesday night?"

I shrugged. My life wasn't really that exciting, especially on the rare occasions when Edward had to work out of the hospital for one reason or another. "Nothing really. I suppose some food would be a good place to start."

"You know, honey that would be perfect, just a bite to eat here at your apartment. I didn't come here for you to entertain me; I came to spend time with my girl."

While we were eating, Edward called. My mother was very gracious as she rose from the dining room table, taking her plate with her and gave me a warm smile as she mouthed the words, _I'll be in the kitchen_. I think she wanted to give Edward and me some privacy. Even though I saw him every day now, she could tell I missed his presence and was really excited to hear from him and talk with him again.

"Hi!" I couldn't keep the enthusiasm out of my voice.

"Hey, baby." He sounded tired, and no wonder. It was after nine, and he'd done his eleven-hour office shift before hurrying to the hospital. Except for a lunch break—which I suspected he'd probably rushed through—he'd been working for over thirteen solid hours at this point.

"How are you?"

"I'm okay. Mrs. Church probably won't be ready to deliver for a few hours, so I'm going to come home and try to get a couple of hours of sleep. Did your mom make it in okay?"

"Yeah, she's here now. We're just eating. Do you want something when you get here?"

"Nah. I ate in the cafeteria around seven. Thanks though. All I really need is to see you and hold you in my arms for a few moments; but then I'm just going to crash right away. I'm sorry I can't spend more time with you—awake—or visit with your mom tonight, but I need to be fresh so I can be as much help as possible for my patient when her time comes."

"It's okay Edward, I understand. You've had such a long day anyway; you must be so tired."

"I am. How about you though? You must be tired too having had to drive all the way to the airport after work? Maybe you'd like to accompany me to bed early tonight, Ms. Swan, and we can snuggle-to-sleep-together and visit with your mother more tomorrow, how does that sound?" I could hear the playfulness in his voice as he stifled back a yawn.

"Oh, you bad boy! I know what you're thinking, and as tempted as I am to take you up on your offer no, I am not going to bed early with you, because you need your sleep and I need to spend some time with my mom who just flew across the country to see me. At your request, I might add." We both chuckled at that.

"Okay, Bella, but you can't blame me for trying. I'll be home soon."

"Well, we'll be here. Oh and Edward? Please drive safely." Those last two words were something of a cross between a request and an order. As much as I loved having him here, on these nights, I sometimes wished that he'd just sleep in the doctor's lounge of the hospital rather than driving when he was so tired.

"I will. See you soon."

"I love you." I tried to never end a phone conversation with him any other way.

I could practically hear his smile through the phone. "I love you, too, Bella."

I gently pushed the 'end' button on my cell phone and turned to face my mother who was standing in the entryway of the room. "He's coming home, but only to get a few hours of sleep before he expects his patient to be ready to deliver in the morning."

"Well, it'll be good to see him again, even if it is just for a moment or two. Oh and Bella, I really tried not to eavesdrop but I couldn't help it; you guys are just so adorable the way you tease each other even when you are both so tired. You, my dear, are so obviously, deliriously happy and in love and I couldn't be happier for you," my mom gushed as she walked over to me and leaned down to where I was sitting and drew me into a warm embrace.

"Thank you, Mom. You're right; I am happy and I do love him so much. I think I am the luckiest person in the world to have Edward and even though everything happened so fast, it all feels right, you know? My new job, Edward's grandparents' home, I mean _our_ new home, his wonderful family and mine… I feel like everything is really coming together for me; it's just some of the time I worry about screwing it up somehow because my life just seems too perfect to be true sometimes. But it is real Mom, it's all real, Edward is and his family, and this baby I'm carrying and everything and I can't wait to show you all of it. I'm so glad you're here. Thank you." I took in a deep breath after saying all that, as I hugged her back with happy, tear-filled eyes.

"Oh baby, anytime you need me or your father, just call us and we'll figure out how to get here. But that man of yours, Bella, he loves you so much, it's apparent. I could tell that from the very first time I met him. Although I tried to ignore the vibes I was picking up from him the first time you introduced us to him in Seattle, because it was obvious he was crazy about you then, too, and well, that was just really wrong. I admit, I felt kind of sorry for the poor guy but let's not go there. But then when you brought him home five weeks later, I knew you were with the right guy then because the love I saw in his eyes was reciprocated right back to him from you. But anyway, getting back to what you were saying sweetie, you really need to tell him when you're feeling sad or scared or overwhelmed because he's _not_ a mind reader, you know. I know without a doubt that he would be there for you too."

"I know, Mom. I know."

"Oh, and sweetie, I can't wait for you to show me your new home, where you work, and meet your soon-to-be in-laws too. And Bella, it's only natural that you would feel overwhelmed sometimes because like you said, so many changes in such a short time—well, it would be difficult for anyone. But once you get settled into your new home there won't be any more on the horizon for quite a while… not until at least, let's see now, mid-March, is that right? " she chuckled and then released me, bringing her plate and mine out to the kitchen. It really did feel good having her here.

"Yeah, the twelfth, according to the doctor."

"I'll make my flight reservations soon, then. I'll be here for you for that, Bella, as long as you need me, I promise."

"Thanks, Mom. That really means a lot."

We had just gotten the dining room cleared when we heard Edward arrive home. I wiped my hands on a kitchen towel and went to him straightaway, feeling relieved that he was home safe and sound. Edward was placing his medical bag on the floor beside the hall chair when he saw me approach and reached out his arms pulling me against him and we held each other tight like we hadn't seen each other in days rather than just that morning. "Hi," he said with a smile as he lowered his head to give me a passionate kiss.

"Hi," I smirked, returning his greeting and then we were interrupted when my mother entered the foyer. Edward ignored the interruption for a moment as he tightened his arms around me and gave me another kiss, this one a whole lot more chaste than I would have preferred, even with my mother watching. He released me then and walked over to my mom to give her a quick hug as well.

"Hello Renée, welcome to Chicago. How was your flight?" he inquired.

She responded much the same way to Edward as she had to me when I'd asked the same questions over an hour earlier, and then with a polite apology for not being more hospitable, he excused himself and went off to bed. I felt bad for him, waking up, going to work, coming home only long enough to sleep before going right back to work. But I knew that he loved his work, and that was what made it okay. I was also grateful that days like today, days in which he had to work such long hours, were few and far between. I thanked my lucky stars nearly every day that he had chosen to be a family doctor rather than a hospital doctor, even before he had a 'real reason' to do so. It was nice knowing that most days, he was home for dinner every night. I loved that our child would grow up knowing that his or her father was a successful doctor, but also managed a fairly normal schedule and would be around for his or her childhood.

"Bella?" my mom's voice called, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Sorry, Mom. I guess I was just thinking a little more about how fortunate I am."

"Oh I'm sure you were; I can hardly blame you for being preoccupied with thoughts about that gorgeous young man of yours. But, listen, sweetie, I know it's only…," she paused, looking at her watch, "seven-thirty my time, but traveling makes me tired for some reason. Would you mind if we called it a night?"

"Really? Are you sure, Mom?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Well then, of course not. Just let me finish tidying up the kitchen really quick, and I'll get you a blanket, sheet and pillow for the sofa."

"Here, I'll help." She stacked up our plates and put them in the sink, turned on the tap to begin rinsing them as she opened the dishwasher. I watched her, bewildered. I'd never known my mom to be domestic. At all. There was more than one reason she and Charlie ate out ninety-nine percent of the time. "Are you coming?" she called out from the sink while she rinsed off the dishes.

"Yeah," I replied, forcing my feet to move forward. I knew I hadn't been able to hide the astonishment in my voice at her odd behavior. She'd always been a bit erratic, but this really took the cake. Blinking to clear my head, I just decided to go with it. Once I'd gotten over myself, we were able to make quick work of the kitchen, and with the dishwasher humming happily, I walked back to the short hallway where the linen closet was. I pulled out an extra blanket and sheet and spread them out over the couch, then placed the pillow I'd taken out of the closet at one end.

"Thank you, baby," she told me.

"You're welcome. Before we go to bed, though, we should probably figure out a tentative plan for the next few days." I sat down on the end of the couch that didn't have the pillow. "I still have to work tomorrow and Friday, so I won't be around during the day, but I've talked to Edward's mother, and she's going to be at our new house going through some of her parents' belongings. You know, deciding what she wants to keep and what she wants to sell at the estate sale we're going to have and she offered to come pick you up. She said she'd love to meet you and take you with her if you're interested? I told her I would ask you."

My mother, having donated most of her personality to me through genetics, was just as shy and uncomfortable around new people as I was, and she demonstrated that trait with her response. "I don't know, Bella. I think I might prefer to wait until you're available to be there, too."

"I know, Mom, and I wouldn't even suggest this except that the first time I was here, I spent time with Esme on my own while Edward was at work. She's really very nice, and she'll make you feel comfortable right away." She continued to look unconvinced. "I'm not going to force you to, but I would feel so much more comfortable knowing you are not all alone for two days in a row waiting for me to come home and I promise you, you will not regret getting to know her. Mom, I just know the two of you would get along famously if you just gave her a chance. Really. Because besides you, she's the best mother in the world. This one," I said, rubbing my stomach affectionately, "is going to have the best grandparents in the universe."

"You make her sound like an angel."

"She just might be."

"Alright, fine. I'll go to your new house without you, and I'll even help your…boyfriend's mother get your new house ready. But what about this place? You haven't even started packing up here, yet."

"Ugh, I know," I sighed. "I got lucky in Seattle; Edward did most of my packing for me. But this time, we both have to work. It's just going to take a little longer, that's all. I know we'll finish, though."

"Okay sweetie. Well, now that that's settled give me a quick hug goodnight and run off and join your young man before he falls asleep, and don't worry about me anymore. I'll be fine. Goodnight Bella"

"Goodnight, Mom." I went over to her and gave her a quick hug and retreated to the bedroom quickly, half of me hoping that Edward was still awake and half of me hoping that he was asleep. It was the rational versus the selfish, the same feelings I'd felt when I'd gotten his text message at lunchtime today. I knew he needed to sleep, but I also wanted to spend a bit of time with him.

"I thought you weren't going to come to bed early," Edward said with a cheeky grin on his face when I opened the door.

"I thought you were going right to sleep," I countered, unbuttoning my blouse and pulling it off, then making quick work of my bra also.

"You know, there's a reason I come home rather than sleeping at the hospital, even when I'm exhausted." I couldn't help but blush at his timing; he'd said _that_ just as I was standing before him topless. "Well, yes, that," he said, smirking as he read my body's reaction to him and his words, "but I was actually referring to having you next to me in bed. I know it's only been a few weeks, but being without you is not something I relish."

I'd pulled my pajama shirt on by now, and traded my dress slacks for pajama bottoms. "I'm glad you came home, too," I told him. "I would understand if you wanted to sleep at the hospital for convenience, but I can't help it, I would feel lonely here without you."

He pulled the covers down and I slid in beside him, snuggling into his bare chest. With my arm draped over his torso and his wrapped around my shoulders, the other gently rubbing my belly, he kissed the top of my head and whispered, "I love you. Both of you." I was more tired than I'd initially thought, and my eyes drooped shut and I was asleep before I could even respond.

x-x-x

I had been right, and it was a little difficult to contain my enthusiasm for the fact that Renee and Esme had gotten along so well. I recognized my mother's laughter immediately when I heard it from the corridor outside my office, and I went to greet her and Esme. "What are you guys doing here?" I asked, smiling and hugging them both at the same time when they showed up at my work on Friday just before noon.

"We are taking you to lunch," Esme informed me.

"Really? That's so great! What a wonderful surprise. You know I was racking my brain trying to figure out how best to get you here, Mom, because I really wanted to show you where I work and I know you wanted to come here too. I never thought to ask you to bring her Esme, even though you've already been here. Thank you so much, both of you, for coming." I gave Esme and my mom each another big hug.

"Oh, Bella, never hesitate to ask for anything from me because you really are the daughter I never had, so of course, if I can help you with anything I will."

"And that goes for me, too, Bella because you _are_ my daughter after all." My mother laughed. "Now do you have time to show us around your office before we take you to lunch? I would love to see it and then we three girls can spend some quality time together." She linked one of her arms around one of mine.

I blushed a ferocious shade of red. _Seriously, could I possibly have two better mothers? _I didn't think so.

By the time I'd returned to the office after the lunch time we shared, I was feeling pretty happy about the interaction between my mother and Edward's; it was like they were old friends. And by Saturday morning, my mother was gushing over how good a time she'd had with Esme over the past two days. She was practically bouncing like a child in the backseat of the Volvo as Edward drove us to Stone Park. Focusing instead on Edward, I asked, "So, I never asked. How's Mrs. Church doing?" He'd been gone before I woke up on Thursday morning, and we'd both been bushwhacked by that evening, so we hadn't talked much.

"Mother and baby are doing just fine," he replied, squeezing my hand and flashing me his trademark crooked smile.

"Good. Was it a boy or a girl?"

"A boy. Jamie."

"That's a cute name," I mused. I'd been beginning to think through some possible baby names, looking for inspiration wherever I could find it. I was still not quite out of my first trimester, though—two more weeks and I would be—so I kind of tried to hide my thoughts regarding that, even from Edward. I wondered if Jamie was a name we could consider. _Jamie something Cullen_. I said the name a few times silently in my head. Then I moved on to nicknames. What's a good nickname for Jamie? _James. _My blood ran cold. Definitely not naming our baby Jamie. I wished I knew what it was about James that made me so freaked out. Maybe I should try to get over it. I just couldn't, though. I pushed James and all thoughts of him out of my mind; we were pulling up to the house.

We walked up the stone pathway and into the house. Esme was already there, and the door was open. I gasped audibly when I entered the house. It looked just like my apartment in Seattle had once Edward had been there for a few days. Everything was packed up except for the living room. I was absolutely shocked at the work that Mom and Esme had done in just two days. "How did you guys do all this? I thought you were just going to pack up the things you wanted to keep?" I managed to say, looking back and forth from my mom to Esme.

"Well, Esme had quite a bit done already," my mom acknowledged. "She really is amazing, you were right, Bella."

"Oh, stop, both of you," Esme said, blushing slightly. "I just want you kids to be able to get settled in here before you get too uncomfortable, Bella. So the sooner the better. I know that in another couple of months, you're not going to want to do much in the way of physical work, and this is the best gift I could give you guys right now. I know neither of you really have the time to put into the project that is getting this place ready, and I do. It's been hard, but completely worth it to see your faces right now."

"I…am stunned. I really don't know what to say right now." I leaned my head against Edward's shoulder, feeling incredibly emotional about this gift our mothers had given us. I was actually blinking back tears of happiness.

"But, Mom," Edward spoke up. "What about, you know, the estate sale?" I could tell he felt a little bad about bringing that up, but it was a valid question; everything had been boxed up as if for moving rather than selling. I thought that estate sales usually took place in the house.

"I'm not ready to give up any of it yet. But don't worry, I'll get it out of your way. I understand that you kids want to make this place your own."

"This really is too much. Thank you so much, Esme, for all your hard work and thank you, too, Mom," I told them.

"You're very welcome, my dear. It was our pleasure. Really." Esme smiled as she looked from me to Edward and then to my mom who nodded her head in agreement.

I turned around then at a loud sound just outside. Looking through the door, I saw a U-Haul truck pulling up to the curb in front of the house. Before I could ask, Carlisle and Jasper climbed out. I could no longer keep the tears of gratitude in at this point. I realized what was happening; everyone had taken time out of their busy lives to help get the house done and move-in ready for us today. Within a week or two, as soon as we get our apartment packed up, we'd be living here instead.

"Alright, what's the plan?" Jasper asked as he barreled through the front door. My mom laughed at his boyish charm, having already been acquainted with him from Seattle and meeting him again along with Carlisle Friday evening, when we were at the Cullens' for dinner.

Esme looked at her oldest son in admiration. "Everything except for the living room furniture and Grandpa's desk is coming out and going back to our house." She shot an apologetic glance at her husband at that. "Just into the garage for now; I'll get it all sorted and put away before long."

"I know you will," Carlisle responded with a knowing glance at her.

The rest of the day passed in a flurry of activity, with Carlisle, Jasper, and Edward moving the heavy furniture out, starting with the second floor. When they'd filled the truck, they drove it to Carlisle and Esme's house and were back two hours later with the truck empty. Fortunately, they'd rented the largest of the three sizes of trucks, so it took only one load for mostly furniture and a few boxes, and one more for mostly boxes and the last few pieces of furniture. I couldn't believe that by the end of the day, the house was actually ready for Edward and me to start moving in. The men had even moved the desk upstairs so that the office-slash-den-turned-nursery was ready to furnish and decorate, too. By dinnertime, everyone was exhausted. Well, everyone except for me; they hadn't let me so much as move a single box out to the truck. So I invited everyone over to the apartment where I'd cook dinner as a joint celebration of the house being ready and thank-you to them for all their hard work. They all happily agreed.

While Edward was walking his family out to their car that night after the dinner party, my mom and I had just a moment alone together to talk. "So, what do you think of everything here? Of my new life?" I asked her.

Her response was exactly what I needed to hear, and made me feel so thankful all over again that she'd been able to come. "I think you made exactly the right decision starting with trusting yourself and Edward enough to come here to begin with."

**Thanks for reading…Let's see if we can work together and bump up my review count :)…all reviews for this chapter get a teaser of next week's chapter! Thanks again, everyone. See you next week!**


	25. Passion and Intuition

**A/N:** **I don't own **_**Twilight**_**.**

**Special thanks to my friends, Gerri (super beta extraordinaire) and Rory (the best pre-reader a girl could hope for), for making my story look like a super hero with their beautiful red and blue correction marks :). Also, thanks to Caz for helping me out with the beginning of this chapter, and **_**extra**_** thanks to Rory for helping me rein that part back in to the way **_**these**_** characters behave. Elements from both of your hard work still remain :). **

**And of course, thanks to you, for reading.**

**Yes, I realize that this is the third chapter in a row that's Bella… It's just the way the story led me. I'm sure Edward will be back soon.**

**This chapter is dedicated to Rory. You know why.**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: PASSION AND INTUITION**

**Bella**

It was Sunday afternoon, and a whole week had passed since we said goodbye to my mother at the airport, vowing to talk often and to see each other soon. I was in the kitchen of the apartment; Edward was in the living room. We each had several large boxes, some already taped and some that we were methodically filling. I wasn't entirely sure what was going on with him, but something sure seemed to be on his mind because he was being awfully quiet, but I was anxious to get moved into the house and figured his mood probably had to do with work or the tedium of packing so I decided to ask him about it later if his mood hadn't lifted. And so, with those thoughts filling my mind, I filled boxes.

As much as I hated packing, the kitchen was the one room I didn't really mind working in. I thought about Edward while I was working, first trying to decipher what he was thinking so hard about and then contented thoughts about what a great man he is and how lucky I am to have him and those led to how proud I am of his commitment and dedication to his chosen career. I mean, I liked my job and was good at it, but nothing like how Edward had taken on the role of doctor. He was phenomenal, and had started visiting some of the patients in the hospital after work, even if they weren't specifically _his_ patients. Since he started earlier and therefore finished earlier and it took me so long to drive home after work and he would time his arrival home with mine since he insisted on walking me up, he used his extra time to help others. It was really an amazing little program he'd started, just with himself, but nevertheless, I loved that he was making people feel better, not just physically but emotionally as well, just by being there.

I'd just finished wrapping the plates in newspaper and stacking them carefully in the box when I felt Edward's arms wrap around my waist as he lifted me up off the floor, where I had been sitting, into a standing position in front of him. I gasped lightly at the sudden intrusion and then I smiled; I was getting kind of tired of packing the dishes away anyway. He then reached down to my hands and one by one using the dampened towel he had brought with him, he wiped the newsprint off my hands and did the same to his own before tossing it on the floor beside him and then he moved his hands to their earlier placement around my waist. Before I had the wherewithal to speak, though, I caught the look in his smoldering jade eyes; it was pure, carnal longing. And just as I processed the desire blazing there, his mouth caught mine in an urgent kiss. "Bella," he growled, "do you have any idea how much I want you right now? I haven't been able to take my eyes off of you all afternoon. And now, I can't wait any longer. I want-no, I _need _you right now. Right here." He reached down and grabbed my bottom, eliciting a surprised yelp from me. He spun me around so that I was no longer facing him and slipped his hand down my yoga pants and cupped my bottom giving me a gentle squeeze followed by rubbing my cheeks there in small circles, methodically, round and round. He then reached his hand around to the front of me and slipped his fingers between my hot folds and began massaging me, gently at first, then more vigorously, as I got more and more aroused by his touch. His other hand slid up the underside of my shirt, and squeezed one of my breasts over my bra and then he suddenly moved it up out of the way, as if it had offended him simply by existing. His fingers then grasped my hardened peaks, first one and then the other, pinching and rolling in tandem with what his other hand was doing lower down.

I had never seen this side of him before, this sudden urgency, like he was consumed with desire. He was all want and hot frantic need. I could feel his hunger in his touch, and my own longing leapt like a flame from deep within me as if his was being transferred to me through his hands. My body was heating, not from my normal blushing reaction to things, but as if an inferno was raging inside me, taking away all sense and reason and leaving nothing in its path except raging need and complete yearning for Edward.

As if he could read my thoughts, he chose that moment to grind himself against my behind. _I'm feeling the exact same thing you are, _he was telling me through the action. _I'm just as aroused as you are._ His thumb continued massaging me while he slid two fingers deep inside, curling upward within my body. I gasped again; I felt like all I was doing was gasping ever since he'd entered the kitchen, but coherent thoughts were not forthcoming. Especially then, as his hands continued to work their magic on both ends of my body, he brought his mouth to my neck, nipping and kissing. It was enough to push me over the edge, and he hummed in victory as I tightened around his fingers. The spasms rocked through my entire body, rendering my legs utterly useless. I reached to the counter in front of me to keep me from falling, but at the same time Edward's hand left my breast, moving down to my hip, holding me close to his body, reminding me that he was still very much aroused and also, all the support that I needed. I rode out my wave as he continued to grind against my behind and I eventually let go of the counter and reached behind me placing both hands against his thighs.

No sooner had I come down from my high than he turned me around to face him, removed my pants and underwear and lifted me up onto the counter. My need for him surged through me, my desire nowhere near sated. I lowered my hands to the hem of his t-shirt and yanked it up over his head quickly. My hands clutched at his body, fingernails raking over his chest and down over his abs. He hissed as my nails dug into the firm muscles beneath his happy trail. His mouth descended on mine as I clutched at his zipper.

His tongue entered my mouth, never losing that sense of urgency. I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him as close to me as the counter would allow. Swiftly unbuttoning and sliding the zipper down, I took just an extra second to press the zipper firmly against his erection as I lowered it. He hissed at the friction that caused. Pushing his pants down, I took care to leave his boxers in place for an extra moment. Once his pants had joined my clothes on the kitchen floor, I gripped him through the thin cotton fabric of his underwear. "Not enough," he grumbled, so I slipped just my thumb into the top of his waistband, feeling the pre-cum that had already accumulated there. I stroked the pad of my thumb across his slick tip making him groan. "Bella," he growled, almost warningly.

The teasing was just as difficult for me to maintain as it was for him to endure, and within just a second or two, he had grabbed my right wrist in his left hand and pulled his boxers down with his right. He kicked them roughly aside and replaced my hand exactly where he wanted me to be. "Much better," he said with a smirk. He still hadn't removed his hand from around mine, so he squeezed my hand around his shaft, guiding me roughly up and down exactly the way he wanted.

"Edward, I want you. I _need_ you inside me, _right now… right here_," I moaned, repeating his words from the beginning of our encounter. I started to guide him closer to me, but instead of letting me take control, he swiftly moved my hand away and set it on the counter.

"Patience, love," he chuckled. He rested one hand on each of my hips and pulled me forward on the countertop so that I was perched right on the very edge. Seeming to have changed his mind on where he wanted his hands to be, he moved his right hand down to grasp my thigh and hooked his hand underneath my knee, hiking my leg up a little higher on his hip. He took himself in his left hand and ran the velvety tip of his erection over my wet folds. A shiver ran through me as I moaned into his mouth. His tongue continued to massage mine as he pressed against my entrance. Just as I braced myself for his penetration, he pulled back slightly and continued his delicious torture.

"Edward, inside. Now," I stuttered around his lips. I wasn't sure how much more I could take.

"You teased me first," he reminded me, "and two can play that game." A glance into his eyes—which were even a darker shade than they were before—revealed the same wild, feral expression that he'd been wearing when he first entered the kitchen, and I knew he wouldn't be able to keep up the teasing any longer than I had. I was proven wrong, though, when he brushed his tip against me again, still not entering. He pulled back minutely as if he was going to make yet another teasing pass. Unable to take any more of his sweet, sweet torture I raised myself up from the counter and pushed on to him. His slick velvety tip slid just inside my entrance and my plea of "I said now!" was drowned out by Edward's loud growl. As the growl died on his lips, his hands clutched at my hips holding me still as he drove his shaft forward, sheathing himself instantly deep inside me. I grunted at the sudden feeling of fullness - Edward inside me, filling me to the brim. With hardly a chance for either of us to take a breath, Edward pulled out and pushed into me again, quickly establishing a mind-blowing rhythm.

Unable to manage anything besides a sharp gasp, I lifted my hands from the counter where they were still holding on and placed them on his shoulders, gripping him as if my life depended on it. I clung to him desperately as he continued his frantic pace. My head swam from the sensation of him pushing into me deeper and harder than he ever had before. I slipped one of my hands from his shoulders to clasp onto his hair and pulled his head back just enough so I could see his beautiful eyes, because I wanted him to see not only what he was doing to me but also how much I loved him which I knew was written all over my face. As Edward looked back at me he smiled and I knew that he knew what I was trying to convey and I felt his love for me as well. I released his hair and moved my hand to the back of his neck as he pressed his forehead against mine and looked even deeper into my eyes, "Oh, Bella," he groaned as his lips came down on mine. One hand slipped from my hip to my behind, holding me steady while his other slipped up my ribs to cup my breast and then he slid it around my back, pulling me close. His teeth nipped at my lips before he slipped his tongue into my mouth. He tasted so good. I couldn't take it any longer and groaned loudly as a ripple of pleasure spread through my limbs. I could feel my walls beginning to tighten and clench around him. "Edward, so close," I moaned "please!"

Edward tore his lips from mine. "Yes, cum for me baby. I need to feel you, I'm not going to last. Ugh, Bella." His mouth descended to my neck as he pressed his lips to my heated skin, darting out his tongue to take a lick with every pass of his mouth, over and over.

That was all I needed to set me off. His voice, begging me to cum for him, was what pushed me over the edge. As he continued to place kisses on my neck, my walls tightened hard around him. My body took on a life of its own, out of my control, muscles clenching and relaxing of their own accord as I quivered uncontrollably in Edward's arms. I was vaguely aware of my own voice calling out his name as he tore his lips from my skin. He threw his head back as he began to pulsate deep within me. Another round of tremors began as my walls clenched impossibly tighter around him and his hot streams pulsed into me; Edward's legs shook with the force of his release. "Ugh, Bella," he gasped, clutching me tighter to his trembling body as we rode out our orgasms together. I grasped lifelessly to his hard chest, our bodies slick with moisture from our exertions.

We clung desperately to each other as our heart beats slowed and our breathing gradually returned to normal. "Baby," Edward breathed his hand coming up to caress my cheek gently, "Are you okay? I didn't hurt you did I, love? Please say I didn't hurt you."

"Edward, shhhh. You didn't hurt me."

"But Bella, I ..." he continued.

"It was, it was…amazing," I said reassuringly. "You caught me off guard at first, but honestly, that was probably the hottest thing you've ever done."

"Really?" He looked so relieved, all traces of worry gone.

"Really."

x-x-x

The next day, Monday, there was miraculously no traffic as I drove home from work in the evening. I considered calling Edward to let him know that I'd be home earlier than anticipated since I knew he liked walking me up to the apartment. Though, I felt a little silly relying on him in that way, as I knew deep down that he only did it to appease my fears as he didn't share my particular concerns. I was nearly twenty-seven years old; surely I could manage an ogling doorman by myself. I had nothing to be afraid of. James was just a guy doing his job. So what if he liked to watch all the women who lived in the building? He knew that I was with Edward, and I knew that he knew it, so as I drove, and eventually parked in the garage, the thoughts streaming through my head were, _Grow up, Bella. Stop being so silly; it's just a short walk across a well-lit room. It'll be fine._

Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself against my nerves and walked from the garage to the entrance of our building. Of course, James was there, ready with the door open for me. I cringed away from him, but then quickly reminded myself that that was his job, after all. He was the _door _man. He had very few duties besides holding the door for the tenants, of which I was now one. "Good evening, Miss Swan," he said as I walked past.

_May as well make the best of the situation, _I told myself_. Be cordial at least. _"Good evening, James. Thank you," I said, referring to the open door.

"You're welcome. No Dr. Cullen tonight?"

"Er, not yet. He'll be home soon. I just beat him home tonight." I shrugged lightly feigning nonchalance.

"Well, then, please, allow me to walk you up to your apartment. It would be my pleasure."

"Oh, uh, no, that's okay. I'll manage." I hurried across the same _well-lit room _I'd thought about in the truck, trying to make it to the elevator as quickly as I could.

Before I'd reached my destination, though, James was there. He'd been impossibly fast, and was now waiting for me, having already pushed the call button. "I insist," he said with a malicious-looking grin.

My heart was pounding out of my chest, and I didn't know what else to do, so I said, "Okay, um, yeah, I guess." The words came stuttering out of my mouth before I could stop them. I didn't like what I'd just agreed to, but I wasn't sure what other choice I had. He obviously wasn't going to give in tonight. _Why did I tell him that Edward wasn't home yet? I should have said that he was waiting upstairs. But James would know I was lying, he'd have seen Edward come home. Ugh, I should have waited in the truck. I should have called Edward to let him know I'd be home early. So many mistakes…_ _No Bella, stop it… everything is fine, you're just being silly…_The frantic thoughts were pouring through my brain faster than I could process them.

The elevator doors slid open and James entered the car. I tentatively stepped in behind him. When the doors shut, my breathing turned erratic, and before we'd risen two floors, I was nearly hyperventilating. After what seemed like a lifetime, we finally reached the floor where Edward's and my apartment was. Wanting nothing more than to escape the tiny room I was currently sharing with James, I hurried out of the elevator before the doors had fully opened. That was a mistake, because in order to do that, I had to brush against his arm. He took that as an invitation to follow me. I turned abruptly and said, "I think I can manage from here, James. Thanks." I hoped that would deter him.

"What kind of gentleman would I be if I left you here alone?" he asked, sneering at me.

I had no idea how to respond to that, so I didn't. Instead, I just turned back around and nearly ran to the door, clutching my keys tightly in my right hand. I should have known that running was a bad idea; before I'd taken five steps, my left ankle twisted in my work heels and I fell to the ground. I was still several feet from the door of my apartment. As my knees hit the floor first, my keys tumbled out of my hand, flying several feet in front of me. I was now helpless on the floor in the hallway, and all I could hear was the pounding of my heart and James' heavy footfalls coming up behind me.

"You are clumsy, aren't you?" he muttered, walking past me and picking up my keys.

"No!" I started, but it was too late. He'd taken my keys and was coming back toward me.

"Don't be ridiculous. You're hurt, I can help you." He reached down toward me and as soon as his clammy hand wrapped around my bare forearm, I winced away. Rolling his eyes, he tightened his grip on my arm, pulled me to my feet and put his other arm around my back and grabbed my waist roughly. Then, yanking me against his side, he pulled me forcibly the rest of the way to the apartment. Using my own key, he unlocked and opened the door. Despite the pain in my ankle, I shoved him and managed to pull away from his grasp, grabbed the key from the doorknob and roughly yanked it out of the lock. Mustering all the strength I had in me to avoid crying out at the pain, I tried to shut the door on him, not even bothering with a 'thank you.' About six inches before the door could click shut, though, it stopped.

With a worried glance up into James' face and then back down, I saw that he'd placed his foot in the doorway, preventing me from being able to close it fully. My entire body was shaking now, and I just stood there on my good foot, staring into his menacing black eyes, not knowing what else to do. "Please," I whispered, packing so much meaning into those six letters. _Please don't hurt me. Please leave me alone. Please go away. _With one final sneer at me, he turned on his heel and strode away.

x-x-x

**Edward**

I hadn't heard from Bella since we'd left for work at the same time that morning, so I assumed she'd follow her normal schedule, getting home around seven after the drive back from Wheaton. Therefore, when I pulled into the garage at _my_ normal time and her truck was already there (and she was not in it), I was instantly put on high alert. Two questions popped into my mind. First, how had she made it home so quickly tonight? And second, why hadn't she called me?

With all kinds of possible scenarios passing through my head, I hurried to the door. James, ever the good doorman, was waiting there, and as soon as I appeared, he opened the door so that I could pass through quickly. I paused once inside, and asked him, "Has Miss Swan arrived home yet, James?"

"Yes, sir, she arrived nearly half an hour ago."

"And she's upstairs?" I asked, already hurrying away from him.

"Yes, sir," he replied as I jabbed the call button on the elevator.

While I waited impatiently, I turned back to James. "Was she alright? It's not like her to come home at night without me."

"She seemed fine, Dr. Cullen. Nothing out of the ordinary." Something about the way he was holding himself, slightly more aloof than normal, caused concern to manifest in my chest. Something was wrong with Bella, and I needed to find out what.

Finally, the elevator doors opened and I rushed inside, pushing the button for our floor and the 'close door' button simultaneously. When the doors opened on my floor, I got out quickly and ran to the door. Grabbing the knob, I discovered that it was locked. I hastily pulled my key out of my pocket and unlocked the lower lock. When I tried the knob again, I still couldn't open the door. The knob turned, but the door wouldn't open. I realized quickly what the problem was and removed the key from the lower lock, then inserted it into the deadbolt up above. After a quick turn there, I threw open the door and rushed inside, slamming it roughly behind me.

Bella was sitting on the sofa, rocking back and forth, shaking like a leaf. I knew right away that something was wrong. I'd seen her this way only once before, the day she'd let me know that she'd missed her pills. "Bella? What's wrong?" I asked, sitting next to her and pulling her into my lap.

Unlike the last time she'd been in this position, she snuggled into my chest now, seeking comfort from me rather than clamming up and not speaking at all. "He… insisted…" She was sobbing heavily, and I was having trouble making out her words. I leaned in closely, listening intently. "On… coming up." She burst into tears.

"Who did? Who came up?" I asked, confused.

"James."

"Wait, what? James came up with you? He was in here?"

"No, just in the hallway." Another sob. "He never came inside the apartment."

"What happened? I mean, you're going to be okay now Bella; when you're ready, can you please tell me exactly what happened?"

She took a few deep breaths to steady herself, then, still sitting on my lap and clinging to my white dress shirt, she started to talk. By the end of her story, I was shaking too, though not from the fear that I knew was causing her tremors. I was livid. I couldn't believe I'd actually stuck up for him, on several occasions. And now, not only had he proven her right (which I didn't even care about; as far as I was concerned, Bella could be right and I could be wrong every day for the rest of our lives and it would be okay), but Bella had hurt herself trying to get away from him.

It was my turn to breathe deeply to try to calm my anger. When I'd regained control of my mood and thought Bella was reasonably okay, I slid her off of my lap, carefully minding her injured ankle. I walked to the packed up kitchen and pulled an ice tray from the freezer, then rummaged in the boxes Bella had packed the previous day. When I finally found the zip-top baggies, I pulled one out and filled it with ice cubes, then wrapped the whole thing in a dishcloth from the same box. I carried the make-shift ice pack to Bella and placed it on her ankle and said to her, "I'll take you to the hospital in a bit to get that looked at. In the meantime, stay seated and keep the ice on it. I'll be back in a few minutes." She looked at me through terrified eyes and nodded. I leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Everything will be okay," I promised her. "I will take care of you, I will protect you. I swear to you, this will never happen again."

Then I turned swiftly and strode out of the room.

I counted to ten—several times—during the elevator's slow descent to the lobby. I was angrier than I'd ever been in my life, and I didn't want to do anything I'd regret in the morning.

When I stepped out of the elevator into the lobby, James was sitting at his post behind the desk. I was standing directly in front of the counter in a matter of seconds, glad that it was between us. It would keep me from laying a hand on him, I hoped. He looked up at me with an expression of complete disregard for what had happened, what he had done. He looked indifferent, almost…_cocky? _"Can I help you with something, Doctor?" he asked, smirking.

The expression was too much. I gripped the countertop tightly to avoid the strong urge I had to grip his throat instead. "You listen to me," I started. It was incredibly hard for me not to call him all the dirty names I had running through my brain, but I really was trying to reign in my temper, walking the fine line between getting my point across and making sure there was nothing he could sue me for later. "If you ever touch Bella—Miss Swan again, and I don't care if you think you're helping or what the reason is—if you _ever_ touch her, look at her, come near her in any way, even _think_ about her, and I find out about it, you will not get off so easily. Am I getting through to you, James?" I growled when he looked away. "I swear on my mother's life, if I ever come home to my girlfriend looking the way she looks right now and I find out it's your fault, the police will be hauling both of us out of here. You for sexual harassment, me for beating the crap out of you. Do you understand me?"

He finally reacted, looked a bit uncomfortable. He didn't respond verbally, only nodded his head minutely. "Leave. Her. Alone." I spoke each word slowly, clearly, to drive the point home.

Without waiting for any more response than that, I took the stairs back up to my floor. I felt like I needed the cool down time that I wouldn't have gotten had I taken the elevator. When I reentered the apartment, Bella was still sitting on the couch, icing her ankle just like I'd instructed her to do. It was already looking better; the swelling had started to go down. Cupping her face in my hands, I looked directly into her eyes and said, "The move will be complete tomorrow. We're not staying here after tonight. Not after what he did to you. If I can't be here to protect you like I should, then I'm going to do it the only other way I know how: by getting us out of here."

**Whew. Busy chapter… And see, I told you that Edward would make an appearance soon!**

**What did you think about the sexy Edward and Bella time? Did Edward do enough where James is concerned? **_**Was**_** it Bella's fault for not waiting, or is she being too hard on herself? Do you think James is as creepy as I do?**

**I'd love to hear your thoughts. Review=Teaser!  
**

**Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends :). See you next Monday!**


	26. Eternity

**A/N:** **I don't own **_**Twilight**_**.**

**Special thanks to my friends, Gerri (super beta extraordinaire) and Rory (the best pre-reader a girl could hope for), for making my story look like a super hero with their beautiful red and blue correction marks :). And thanks to my friend Babs for making sure I got the deets right on x-rays.**

**And of course, thanks to you, for reading.**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: ETERNITY**

**Edward**

I stood in the kitchen of my new home—_Bella's and my_ new home—and idly flipped over the French toast on the griddle; making breakfast in bed for Bella for her birthday was something I'd been planning all week. It was too bad her birthday was on a Monday this year; I would have loved to have been able to do it for her actual birthday, but as we'd both have to work, I settled for the day before. Watching the egg bubble slightly from the edge of the bread, I thought back over the last week and a half, remembering what had brought us to this point.

_After I'd confronted James, I had taken Bella right to the hospital. I looked at her ankle in the apartment, but I just couldn't be sure that it wasn't broken. "Better safe than sorry," I'd told her, and she reluctantly agreed. James barely cast us a passing glance as we walked through the lobby and out the door to the parking garage. _

_As I drove, Bella had asked, "Is it okay for me to get an x-ray? I've always heard that it was dangerous for unborn babies." _

_She sounded really worried about it, so as calmly as I could, I explained to her, "It's really only a problem if you're getting an x-ray of your torso. For an ankle picture, it won't matter." When I glanced over at her briefly, I noticed that she looked slightly worried about the idea still. I smiled and continued. "Really, it's true. I wouldn't recommend you getting x-rays every day, but they'll give you a lead apron and you—and the baby—will be fine."_

"_You're sure?"_

"_Yes, I'm sure," I promised. "Besides, it's better for both of you for you to get one x-ray and get your bones taken care of than to _not _get it and end up with even more damage than you've already got."_

_When the ER doctor confirmed what I'd already told her, she relaxed somewhat. He wanted x-rays done, too, to make sure that her ankle didn't have any tears or fractures, and when we told him that she was pregnant, he assured us—well, Bella really; I wasn't concerned—that just a couple of pictures of her ankle wouldn't hurt the baby. I couldn't help but tease her as I pushed her in a wheelchair down to radiology. "So you believe him but not me?"_

"_Well, you are a little biased, Dr. Cullen," she teased back, emphasizing my title. "I was just afraid that you'd be more concerned for me than for him. Or her." She rubbed her belly lightly._

"_I am equally concerned for both of you," I assured her, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. "This is just the best way to know for certain how badly you're hurt."_

_After her x-ray was taken, we went back to the ER and waited for the doctor to bring us the results. An hour later, he did. "No breaks whatsoever," he said, bustling into our little curtained-off area. Bella and I released our breaths simultaneously. "There is quite a nasty sprain, though. Bella, you'll need crutches for a week, but no cast. I'll bandage you up here, just make sure when you shower to remove the wrapping, obviously." He cast a glance at me. "You'll be in good hands as far as rewrapping it each day, so nothing to worry about there. Your regular doctor is…?"_

"_Dr. Snow," Bella supplied._

"_Very good. Okay, I'll send a report of tonight's visit over to him in the morning. So, take Tylenol for the pain, use the crutches for only the first week. This is very important, Bella. Beyond that and they'll do more damage than good." Bella nodded her understanding. "So, the Tylenol, the wrapping, the crutches…I think you're good to go."_

"_Thank you," Bella replied._

_I reached over and shook his hand. We picked up a pair of crutches for her from the hospital's twenty-four hour pharmacy and went back to the apartment._

I slid the turner underneath the bread and removed it to a plate, then placed it in the warm oven while I started the next batch of toast. As I watched the egg bubble, it didn't take long for my mind to drift again, this time back to the day after the hospital visit.

"_Hello?" my mother's sleepy voice mumbled into the phone._

"_Mom?"_

"_Edward? What's going on? Why are you calling me so early?"_

"_I'm sorry, Mom, but listen, I need to leave for work soon, and so does Bella. I've called some movers, well actually I called like five different moving companies last night before I finally found one that was not booked, and then only because they had a cancellation for today. Anyway, the long and short of it is we're moving today. I was just wondering if you could oversee the project. It's fine if you can't, I'll ask Felix to, but…"_

_She cut me off, sounding slightly more awake. "Why are you moving today? Why so suddenly? I thought you guys were going to finish packing up yourselves and then do a U-Haul like we did to empty the house?"_

"_We were, but I don't want to stay in the apartment any longer." I explained to her what had happened the previous night, and she was appropriately appalled._

"_You're making the right decision, Edward. My goodness, I'd never caught any strange vibe off of James. I guess you never really can tell, can you?"_

"_Bella knew." My voice was quiet, pained._

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Bella's had a feeling—an intuition—about him from the very first time she met him. I just kept telling her that he was okay, just a guy who liked looking at the beautiful women in the building, of which she was now one. I never expected that he'd try something." I was feeling horribly guilty—nearly to the point of nauseous— by the time I'd finished speaking. I should have taken Bella's fears more seriously rather than trying to convince her that they were unwarranted. _

"_It's not your fault, you know, what happened," my mother said._

"_Thanks, Mom." I still wasn't convinced, though._

"_So, you think Felix will be able to help?"_

"_If I ask him, then probably. At the very least, he'll be able to let the movers in. Why?"_

"_I'd be honored to help you get this done today, but I think it would be better—if Felix is available—to have him work that end while I'm at the house, waiting when the movers arrive. Does that sound reasonable?"_

"_That sounds perfect, Mom. Thanks."_

_As Bella and I stepped out of the elevator—well, I stepped, she hobbled on her crutches—Felix was there to greet us, just like he did every morning. "Good morning, Dr. Cullen, Miss Swan," he said as we made our way across the foyer. Bella shot him her usual frustrated-slash-amused glance, rolling her eyes at him. I'd asked her about that once, and it was almost like a game between the two of them. Apparently, she'd asked him to call her by her first name and he'd refused, telling her that it would be unprofessional. I didn't tell Bella, but I agreed with Felix on that one. "Are you alright, Miss Swan? You didn't have crutches the last time I saw you…" He sounded like he regretted the question at once. I suspected he felt that he had crossed the line between professional courtesy and into overly personal._

"_It's okay, Felix, I'm fine. It's just a sprain," Bella told him, not providing any further details._

"_Listen, Felix, Bella and I have had something come up and we are moving out of the apartment today. I've already hired the movers, and my mom will be meeting them at the new house, but I was hoping you'd be able to let them in to our apartment when they get here in a couple of hours?" _

_The look on his face was…sad. There was really no other word for it. He recovered quickly, however. "Of course, Doctor. Is there anything else you need today?"_

"_No, Felix, that'll be all." I turned to go, but then thought better of it. I could spare a couple of extra minutes. "But Felix?"_

"_Sir?"_

"_Thank you." A slight look of confusion crossed his features, so I went on, "Thank you for…" I wasn't entirely sure what to say. Fortunately, Bella, who was standing right next to me, spoke up._

"_Thank you for being you," she started. "Thank you for helping me on those afternoons when I came home by myself, and for keeping James," she stuttered over the name, "at bay. I think we could actually have been friends, Felix, under different circumstances." _

_His eyes popped ever so slightly. He quickly recovered his composure and spoke quietly. "Really? You think we could have been friends, you and Dr. Cullen and I?"_

"_Of course," Bella said. _

_Felix glanced over at me next. I nodded my head slightly, confirming what Bella had already said. "You took care of her when I couldn't—or didn't," I told him. "And for that, I will be eternally grateful."_

I suddenly smelled smoke. I looked down at the griddle and swore. I'd gotten so lost in my memories that I'd forgotten Bella's breakfast. It was the last of the bread, too. I was just glad that I'd at least made enough for her before nearly catching the house on fire now. I'd be fine with cold cereal after I sat with her in the bed while she ate. I removed the burned toast from the pan and threw it away and then turned the electric griddle off before plating up the food: French toast and bacon along with sparkling apple cider and decaf coffee. I finished the tray off with a shot glass filled with imported Maple syrup and a small vase of Forget-Me-Nots from the backyard. My grandmother had been an avid gardener before she'd fallen ill, and she'd taught me the meanings of all the flowers during my many visits to this house as a college student. I didn't remember most of them, but the Forget-Me-Nots were hard not to remember. I could almost hear my grandmother's voice when I'd gone outside to clip them right before I'd started the breakfast: _"I hope you'll find a lovely girl to give these to someday, Edward. The forget-me-not is the flower of true love, and I've been lucky enough to be with my true love for over fifty years. I hope you find yours, too, some day." _

I smiled at the memory, wishing that Gran could be here today to meet Bella. They'd get along so well. In fact, Gran would have loved Bella just like Grandpa did and my mom and dad and Jasper do. She is like an honorary Cullen… for now. If I have my way, she won't be 'honorary' for too much longer, though.

I carefully carried the tray around the bar, through the breakfast nook and the living room, down the short hallway and into our bedroom. One glance at the bed told me that Bella was not in it. I looked around, perplexed, until I heard the sound of the toilet flushing from the master bathroom.

I stood there, just waiting for her to emerge. Fortunately, she just washed her hands after the flush, didn't turn the shower on yet. She stopped short when she saw me standing there, holding a tray of food and flowers. A smile slowly spread across her face and she said, "What are you doing?"

"Breakfast in bed for the birthday girl."

"But it's not my birthday." Her smile slowly dissipated into confusion.

"I know, but we have to work tomorrow," I explained.

Her face brightened again. "No one has ever brought me breakfast in bed," she murmured.

"Well, get back in the bed and I'll bring you the tray; then you won't be able to say that anymore."

She walked past me, wearing nothing but panties and a white tank top and climbed back into the bed. I followed her and when she was settled, I placed the tray over her lap. "Happy birthday, Bella," I said, kissing her forehead before I sat on the bed next to her.

She sighed happily and then looked over at me.

"Aren't you eating anything?"

"Well, I was going to, but I burned the second batch of toast," I admitted sheepishly. "I was thinking back over the past couple of weeks, and I guess I just lost my focus."

She just smiled at me and poured the entire shot glass of syrup over the toast, drenching every inch of the bread in maple. She cut off a small piece with her fork and ate it, chewing slowly. Her eyes closed and she actually hummed at the flavor. When her lids opened, she looked over at me. "This is so good. You told me you were a 'fair' cook. This is better than 'fair.'"

"I'm glad you like it," I told her, smiling.

"I do. Thank you."

She finished eating, sharing about one bite in four with me, and I had to admit, she was right. It did taste good. Made me regret having burned the rest. When she'd finished, she leaned over and planted a soft kiss on the corner of my mouth. "Thank you for breakfast," she repeated.

"You're welcome. Now for the rest of the day," I started, removing the bud vase from the tray and placing it on her bedside table, "it is Sunday, so my parents have planned the traditional get together. But if you'd rather spend this one alone, that's okay, too. I can always call my mom, and I'm sure she'd understand."

"Of course not. I love the Sunday dinners. We should still go."

"Great. The rest of the day can go any way you want it to," I told her, standing from the bed and removing the tray from across her lap.

"We can do anything I want?"

"Yes, anything you want," I told her, feeling the growing bulge in my pants when I recognized the gleam in her eye. "As soon as I get back." I smirked at her and left to return the tray and dirty dishes to the kitchen. Normally, I'd wash them right away, but today they could wait until later… hopefully a _lot_ later.

I padded back to our bedroom and found my beautiful Bella waiting under the covers for me.

x-x-x

As we drove to my parents' house, I was thinking about Bella's birthday, and the gift I'd gotten her. I'd give it to her the following night, when I took her out for her actual birthday, but as I thought about the gift itself, I had an idea. "You really love your truck, right?"

"That was unexpected," she said, looking confused.

"I have a train of thought, I promise. Just stick with me for a minute. You don't really want to sell it come Christmas, do you?"

"It's not really an option," she said, looking slightly dejected at the thought. Her expression said more than her words did, and I knew that I was right.

"It _is_ an option. Do you want to keep it?"

"What do you mean?" She looked suddenly hopeful. It was just a little spark in her eye, but I saw it there before turning my attention back to the road.

"Well, I'm not suggesting that we need to go all hog-wild with the inheritance, but money isn't really an issue anymore. Why don't we just buy you a nice, new family-friendly car and you can keep your truck for running errands when you're by yourself? That way you won't feel guilty about having the baby in the truck, but you won't have to get rid of it, either."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, I am." I glanced over at her for another split second, and saw that the hope on her face had been replaced with elation. I could see out of the corner of my eye that she was grinning. I focused on the road for a few more minutes and then glanced at her again, this time to see tears streaming down her face. "Hey, what's wrong?" I could not imagine why she would—or should—be crying right now.

She took a deep breath and wiped her cheeks with her fingers. "Nothing's wrong. These are happy tears. I can't imagine a better gift than being able to keep my truck. Thank you."

I let go of the steering wheel with my right hand and gripped hers, giving it a squeeze. A couple of minutes later, we pulled into my parent's circular driveway and climbed out of the car.

The day was sunny and warm, but as we were nearing the end of summer, the temperature was starting to drop. It was comfortable outside, and my parents had planned an outdoor meal on the gazebo that had graced the backyard for as long as I could remember.

"This is gorgeous," Bella murmured as soon as the gazebo came into view. "I'm stunned every time I see it; I'm not sure I'll ever get used to seeing this here. I have never seen a gazebo as large as this one." Her voice drifted off a little as she said, "It's the perfect place for a small, intimate gathering."

Her words felt like they had some sort of deeper meaning, but I wasn't entirely sure. Definitely not sure enough to comment on it, but enough that I wanted to get some 'expert' advice. I knew—had known for a long time—that I wanted to marry Bella; maybe the time to propose was sooner than I dared to hope.

Since Bella was already chattering happily with my mother, I took the opportunity to excuse myself. "I'm going to go talk to Dad and Jasper for a minute," I said to them, kissing Bella's temple.

"Okay, see you in a bit," she replied, practically dismissing me with very little disruption to her conversation with my mother. I smiled and turned, heading back down the gazebo steps and into the house.

I found my father and Jasper in the living room with drinks. My father rose when I entered the room, but I stopped him. "It's fine, Dad, I can get my own drink." He nodded at me and resumed his seat. With my glass in hand, I walked over and took a seat next to my brother.

"So, when are you going to pop the question to Bella?" Jasper asked, never one to beat around the bush.

If I hadn't wanted to discuss that very topic, I might have spit my drink all over him. Since I'd intended to raise that very topic, though, I held the amber liquid in my mouth for a moment, savoring the flavor before swallowing and responding. "I'm not sure. I want to, but I want to be fairly confident that she'll say yes before I do. Things are moving pretty fast already, and I don't want to spook her."

My father nodded and said, "Under normal circumstances, that's a good idea, Edward, but things are a bit different for you two. First of all, you've known each other for years. Secondly, the two of you had poor judgment over the summer, and are now looking at becoming parents. That's a big deal, and something you need to consider. Your child deserves to have his or her parents in a completely committed relationship; by the looks of things you are already committed to each other in every way except one."

I started to protest, "We are…," but was cut off.

"I know you love her, and she loves you. That's apparent, like I told you last time you were here. Éros and agápe, remember? I meant it then, and I still mean it. I stand behind my words. You need to show her your commitment, though. And you deserve to have hers in return."

I thought for a moment about what he'd said. _You need to show her your commitment, and you deserve hers in return. _I agreed with the first part of his statement, but I wasn't sure about the second. I wasn't sure I necessarily _deserved_ anything with Bella. The fact that she was willing to offer herself to me was amazing, and a gift I would cherish every day of my life, but I didn't feel like _deserve_ was the right word for it. I could appreciate what he was saying, though. I frowned slightly, trying to word my reply in my head before I spoke. Finally, I said, "I get what you're saying, Dad, I really do, but that doesn't really address the concern I have. Like I said before, things are moving incredibly fast, and yeah, it's because we were irresponsible, but I don't regret it, not even a little." I shrugged slightly. "I'm not the one that needs convincing over this and I'm not saying that she does either, I'm just not certain that's all. I mean, I don't think I need to remind you that she was recently engaged to that schmuck and we all know how _that_ turned out; because of that, it would be only natural for her to have cold feet about committing in that way again, especially so soon. And well, that's what's worrying me. I want to marry Bella. I just want to make sure she's just as ready as I am before I ask her."

"What you're saying is that you're afraid she's going to turn you down?" Jasper teased.

"Jasper, that's enough," my father chastised him. It was rather funny, actually, the way our father still regarded him as a child, especially when he was acting like one. "Edward's concern is a valid one given Bella's recent experience; timing in this matter is an issue that deserves some consideration."

"Well, if you're so sure that you are going to ask her eventually, why don't you just go buy the ring, that way you're ready when the time comes?" Jasper asked.

I crossed my legs, ankle to knee, pondering for a moment. It wasn't a bad idea, and I told him so.

Before the conversation could continue, Mom and Bella entered the room, both of them absolutely radiant. "Dinner's ready," my mother informed us.

x-x-x

With Jasper's suggestion that I buy the ring and hold on to it, I was suddenly antsy to do just that, so I went the earliest opportunity I could, during my lunch break the following day. I chose a small, independently owned shop rather than one of the chains. I'd seen "Aro's Jewelry Boutique" a few times, but hadn't ever been in there; I'd never had a reason to before. I honestly didn't expect to find what I wanted in just the hour I had allotted for lunch that day, but I wanted to at least start the process. So when I walked into the store amidst the clinking of bells tied to the interior handle, and approached the counter, I was bluntly honest when the old man greeted me with a "Good afternoon, my name is Aro. What can I help you with?"

"Hi," I replied, smiling. "I'm looking for an engagement ring, actually. I'm not sure I'm ready to buy just yet, but I will be soon, and I just wanted to see what you have to offer."

"This way," he said, gesturing with his crooked pointer finger to a case near the back of the shop. I followed him, and when he stopped in front of the display case, I was frankly shocked at the sheer number of engagement rings he had on display.

"Oh." I couldn't think of anything else to say. There were dozens of them. How would I ever pick the right one for Bella? I wanted it to be something she'd love, but also something that somehow spoke of our relationship and its uniqueness. And of course, it had to be beautiful, for my Bella. Aro pulled out the first tray of rings nestled in the black velvet and stood back while I appraised them. None of them felt quite right, and I told him so. "I'm looking for something more unique. I'm not entirely sure what, but more than just a diamond, I think. Do you have any rings that are a little less traditional?"

"Of course," he said, replacing the tray and walking a few steps over to another case. "More unique than a diamond? She must be a special lady."

"She is. She's one of a kind. And our relationship didn't start by conventional means, so I'd like the ring to reflect that."

"I don't hear that very often. Most of you young men are all about the biggest diamond you can afford. It's rather refreshing to hear you speak of unconventional relationships. If you don't mind my asking, how did you meet?" he asked as he pulled out another tray of rings.

"We were pen pals for years, since she was in seventh grade and I was in ninth. Nearly half my life. And that's all we ever did, write letters. She let me know that she was getting married last summer and she wanted me to attend her wedding. That's when we were going to meet." I continued the tale, breezing over the fact that her fiancé had essentially left her for one of her best friends, instead just briefly mentioned that the wedding had been canceled. "So I took a chance. And now we're together, and ready to take this step."

"What a lovely story," he murmured, making me wonder if he'd actually listened. It wasn't a lovely story at all; she was dumped the night before her wedding. _Water under the bridge,_ I told myself.

"Thank you." This tray of rings wasn't really singing to me, either, and I was nearly ready to give up on Aro's Jewelry when I spotted 'it'. Of course, I didn't know what I'd been looking for, but that made it all the more gratifying when I saw it. "Can I see that one?" I asked, pointing out a simple white gold band with a diamond in the center. Where it turned untraditional was around the outside. There were six smaller diamonds and six sapphires surrounding the larger stone; it was the perfect combination of traditional and modern. I wanted Bella to have something spectacular and unique, but not so far removed from 'normal' that she wouldn't like it. The hint of blue was perfect for us. It made the whole thing feel less traditional, and on top of that, blue was my favorite color on Bella. I held the ring in my fingers, examining it, though I wasn't sure for what. After just about a minute, I was sure of my choice. "Yes, this is the one," I told him confidently.

"Very good, sir, that's a lovely choice you've made; it's the only eternity ring I have in my collection," Aro stated.

"What did you call it?" I had never heard of such a ring before.

"It's an 'eternity ring,'" he said, as he took the ring from me and pointing to its features, he continued, "The center stone is perfectly round symbolizing your heart which you have given to her and the sapphires and diamonds encircling it form an unbroken, never ending circle called an 'Eternity Circle' and represent your undying commitment and love for your lovely lady." He held it out for me to look at again, but there was no need; my mind was already made up.

"It's perfect." An eternity ring for my Bella, she'll love it as much as I do, I just know it.

The writing relationship I shared with Bella was brought to the forefront of my mind. It had been a long time since I'd written anything to her, and though this canvas was tiny, I knew the ring wouldn't be complete without an inscription. When I asked Aro about it, he said, "I'm too old to manage them anymore, but I can send it off and have it engraved, of course." Taking the ring, Aro moved back around the glass cases toward the front of the store. He then handed me a form and I wrote out the inscription I wanted, and passed the paper back to him. He stuck it in the small manila envelope with the ring and placed the packet under the counter. "Now, Mr…?" he trailed off, and it was only then that I realized I hadn't given him my name.

"It's Doctor, actually, Doctor Edward Cullen."

"My apologies, Doctor. Because of the inscription, you're going to want to make sure to have it sized first. I'd hate for you to get it back only to have it not fit her. So, do you know her ring size?"

"No, I don't." I felt like an idiot. Who shops for an engagement ring without knowing the size of his girlfriend's finger?

"Okay. Well, you'll need to find out, again, just to be safe. Can you call me with the information when you get it?"

"Yes, of course." How was I going to get Bella's ring size without tipping her off? I had no idea. "I'm not sure exactly when I'll be able to do that, but I will as soon as I can."

"Certainly. Now, I'm going to need a deposit to hold it for you, you understand."

"Of course. How much?"

"Half is customary," he said, again passing over a slip of paper, this time with the price on it.

A quick glance at the paper told me that this was the most expensive thing I'd ever bought. This ring was going to cost more than my Volvo had; of course I'd purchased it from my father when he upgraded to the Mercedes, so he cut me a deal, but still. Then I decided it didn't matter. I had the money, and like I'd told Bella the day before, I wasn't keen on burning through my entire inheritance, but honestly, there was a _lot_ of money there. More than I'd even realized when my grandfather had made his dying declaration to me. An expensive engagement ring and a new car for Bella wouldn't even dent it. I pulled my credit card out of my wallet and handed it to him. "I'll pay for the ring now and the inscription when I pick it up."

Aro looked surprised at that. "Honestly, Doctor, half is fine."

"No, the full amount," I insisted.

He nodded and swiped my card, and then handed it back to me.

I looked at my watch then and realized that I was out of time. I had to get back to the clinic, despite the fact that I hadn't eaten yet. I signed the credit card slip and tucked my copy of the receipt and the card back into my wallet, and my wallet into my pocket. I made a mental note to remove the receipt to my desk drawer upon my return to work; I didn't want Bella to find it. "I'll call you with that ring size just as soon as I can," I promised.

"Of course, sir. Whenever you're able. Just know that it usually takes up to a week for the engraving."

"Thank you, Aro."

"It's been my pleasure, Dr. Cullen. I look forward to seeing you again."

"Likewise."

I hurried back to the Volvo in the parking lot and was nearly giddy with my excitement. I'd done it. I'd taken a tiny step forward in cementing my relationship with Bella. Even if she didn't know it yet.

**Thanks for reading! Review=teaser!**

**Oh, and there's a pic of the ring on my personal website. I would've put it on photobucket like normal, but I got an email from them over the weekend saying that I was nearly out of bandwidth for the month with two weeks to go. Crazy. Anyway, go to www(dot)wendymrobertson(dot)com. Click on 'enter site' then at the top, click on 'fan fiction.' The ring pic is there. I'll move it to photobucket on 13 December 2010 and post a link on my profile at that time. So, if you're reading this prior to that date, go to my personal website; after that date, you can choose which place you want to look. Thanks for understanding.**

**Also, I'm participating in an anonymous contest, Musical Cues. The entries are posted on freewritersandreaders(dot)ning(dot)com. I'll post a link on my profile. Anyway, I'd love it if you could read the stories and come back here to FF to vote starting 13 December. Voting runs until 18 December, and there's a link for that as well. Thanks!**


	27. The Highlight of My Life

**A/N:** **I don't own **_**Twilight**_**.**

**Special thanks to my friends, Gerri (super beta extraordinaire) and Rory (the best pre-reader a girl could hope for), for making my story look like a super hero with their beautiful red and blue correction marks :). **

**And of course, thanks to you, for reading.**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY LIFE  
**

**Bella**

The best part of work on Monday, my birthday, was at lunch, when two things happened. First, I realized that I hadn't been sick all day. _Dare I think that perhaps the morning sickness is over?_ I hoped, anyway, although I wasn't ready to bet on it yet. The other good thing about my lunch break was that Alice called. I'd been sitting on a park bench outside, eating my taco and enjoying the still warm weather, knowing that before long it would be winter. And from what Edward had told me, Chicago winters were brutally cold and snowy.

When the phone rang and I read Alice's name on the caller ID, I quickly finished chewing and swallowed my bite, anxious to talk to her. "Hey, Alice!"

"Happy birthday," she trilled back.

"Thanks," I said.

"I hope you're doing something special for your birthday today. I know if it were up to you, you'd just sit at home all day, hoping that no one noticed. But honestly, it's your birthday, Bella! You should celebrate. Celebrations are a part of life…"

"Alice. Alice!" I cut her off. Her enthusiasm was making me tired and all I was doing was listening to her over the phone. "Don't worry about me. You're right that I'd be perfectly happy relaxing at home not celebrating, but you're not the only one in my life who thinks that birthdays are something to be celebrated."

"So Edward's taking you out tonight, then?"

"Apparently. I haven't asked him too many details. I just know that he's asked me to wear the blue dress I bought the last time I was here. Well, that he bought for me," I corrected, remembering the day I'd spent with his mother before he'd taken me to Navy Pier. I wondered idly how well it would fit. I wasn't showing yet per se, but I was definitely feeling bigger in a few key areas.

"Good. You should go out and celebrate your birth."

"I suppose," I replied, unconvinced.

Alice, being Alice, changed the subject quickly then. "So, guess what?" She sounded really excited.

"I don't know, Ali, what?" I asked.

"I'm coming to Chicago for Christmas and New Year's!"

"Are you kidding?" I was shocked. I had hoped that she'd be able to come sometime, but wasn't sure with the finances and whatnot.

"No! Jasper invited me, and well, I've got to use my vacation before the end of the year. You know, 'use it or lose it.' So I figured, why not?"

"That's great, Alice. I've missed you so much. It'll be great to see you. And you'll get to see my new house."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot, you moved again, huh?"

"Yeah, there was an emergency and we had to get out of the apartment suddenly." I really didn't want to rehash the James incident. It had been nearly three weeks and I'd put it behind me, and I was fine. Better than fine, really, now that we were out of that apartment. I felt safe now. But I didn't want to talk about the incident right now, over the phone. I knew that Alice would ask, though, so I braced myself for that.

As if on cue, the very next words out of her mouth were, "What kind of emergency? Like a fire or something?"

"No, nothing like that. It's a long story, Alice, and one I'd really rather not tell right now. I hope you understand."

"Oh. Yeah, okay. Sure. Of course," she said, instantly bouncing back, just like I knew she would. Ever since our slight falling out and subsequent making up, Alice was always careful not to pry. I knew she still felt guilty over the whole telling-Rosalie thing, and while I'd never forget what she did, I still would rather have her in my life than not.

"So, you said Jasper invited you out for Christmas?" I asked, not having realized that the two of them were still in communication. Jasper never mentioned her during the Sunday dinners, and the rare occasions I actually got to talk to Alice, she never mentioned him either.

"Yeah. I'm so excited," she gushed.

"I guess I didn't realize that you guys were still…what, dating?"

"Er, kind of I guess." I could imagine her shrugging her tiny shoulders when she said that. "As much as you and Edward were for all those years, I guess. Well, maybe more than you guys, as we realize that we're together and are being very purposeful about it, and we talk on the phone and stuff. So, yeah, while I'm not sure _dating_ is the right word, since we live two thousand miles away from each other, we're trying to figure things out."

"That's so great, Alice. It'll be good for you to be able to see him again, then. He's mentioned that he's not being deployed for awhile, so that's a good thing. His new job is a stateside one, that's what he says, anyway, although I don't entirely understand the different jobs," I realized that I was rambling, not focusing at all on what I was saying. I laughed gently at myself.

"It's really not that confusing, Bella." Alice went on to explain to me how his contract had expired and since he now had an extra reason to stay around—more than just his parents and brother, that is—he'd requested a local job for his next three years.

"Wow, I guess I didn't realize that it worked like that," I said.

"Me neither, until recently," she admitted. "Apparently it's because he's so high ranking, though. He has a little more control over his life than the enlistees."

"So when can I expect you to move out here permanently, then?" I teased her.

"Oh, I don't know about that, Bella. I mean, Chicago? My life is here. I've got a good job, and my family…" she trailed off.

"I was just teasing, Alice, although it sure would be nice if you could," I assured her.

"Oh."

"You didn't recognize the tone?"

"I guess not," she sighed wistfully.

"You're struggling over the decision, aren't you?"

"How'd you know?"

"Come on, Alice, I know you better than I know myself sometimes. The way you didn't recognize my tease was my first clue, and then the way you sighed afterwards. You're having trouble deciding whether you want to be with Jasper or stay in Seattle."

"You're amazing, Bella. You got all of that from two little sentences?"

"Yeah. And Alice, I know it's a difficult decision. Believe me, I now. It was the hardest decision I ever made, but also the best one. You'll make the right choice, I know you will, and if you and Jasper are meant to be then you'll both make it happen, somehow."

"Thanks, Bella."

"You're welcome." I paused, looking at my wristwatch. "Well, Ali, I'd love to chat some more, but I have to get back to work. You caught me on my lunch break."

"That wasn't an accident," she replied cheekily. "I knew you'd be on lunch, that's why I called now."

"Well, thank you for calling, this means a lot," I told her sincerely.

"Happy birthday, Bella."

"Thanks. Bye."

"Bye."

The afternoon passed quickly and before I realized that it was gone, it was time to go home. Frankly, I was glad to be leaving. Jacob, bless his heart, had arranged for a cake to be brought in from a local bakery with a giant _Happy Birthday Bella _scrawled across it in purple icing after having found out that I liked purple. While there was no party per se, I was still rather uncomfortable with all of my coworkers wishing me a happy birthday all day after having seen the cake. I didn't hate celebrations, but I did hate having a huge commotion made over me, which was exactly what had happened. I couldn't find it in my heart to be mad at Jake, though. While he hadn't asked me whether I wanted that done, I knew he hadn't done it out of malice. He'd been trying to be a nice guy. So I spent the day smiling and blushing and just generally waiting for the hours to pass so I could go home.

At six o'clock, I was able to leave. I drove home carefully and pulled my truck into the driveway at six-forty and walked into the house feeling exhausted. I was beginning to wish I hadn't agreed to go out tonight. I really just wanted a quiet evening home with Edward. I plopped down on the antique sofa that we'd kept from when Edward's grandparents lived here, and leaned my head back to rest for a few minutes. I hadn't noticed Edward's car when I arrived home, so I thought I'd have a few extra minutes to myself.

After what couldn't have been more than five or ten minutes, I heard his key in the lock, and groggily opened my eyes and stood up. I stretched my arms over my head, pushing my palms toward the ceiling and dropping my shoulders. It felt great, and even just that little bit of blood flow helped to revive me a bit. I greeted Edward at the door with a kiss which he eagerly returned. "Hi," I murmured, moving my lips away from his and resting my head on his chest.

"Happy birthday," he said in return.

"Thanks." I didn't know what else to say.

"Have you been home long?"

"Not really, no. Just long enough to rest for a few minutes. I'm good now, though," I told him, stifling a yawn. He laughed lightly. "So, big plans tonight, right?"

"Nothing major. If you're tired, we can stay home."

"Maybe," I said. I hadn't decided whether I wanted to go out or not yet. I figured I'd make that decision after I tried on the blue dress again.

"Let's go shower first, make the decision after," he suggested.

"Ha! If we shower together, I _know_ we'll never get out of here tonight."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." His eyes grew dark and intense. I went weak in the knees.

"But…the blue dress…" I stuttered.

"Can wait."

My eyes popped open in surprise as he grabbed my hand and pulled me toward our master bathroom. They widened further when I saw that the bathroom had been completely transformed from when I left for work this morning. There were a few candles on the bathtub ledge and more on the counter all around the double sink. Of course, since we'd just gotten home, they weren't lit yet, but there was a lighter on the counter as well, and Edward was already making use of it, lighting each candle's wick. He finished in record time, considering there had to be at least two dozen candles throughout the room. "How did you do this?" I could barely manage the words; I was so overcome with the scene before me.

"Magic," he replied, winking at me.

When he'd finished lighting the candles, he turned the tap in the whirlpool tub on and put the plug in place before gently adding a generous portion of lavender bubble bath. I stood there, watching the water and bubbles fill the tub, while Edward stood behind me, resting his chin on my shoulder and his arms wrapped around my waist, his fingers interlocked over my belly. After just a moment, he turned his head toward me and kissed my neck sweetly, just below my ear. I shivered. When the tub was full, he released me and bent over the tap, turning it off, being careful of the candles that were on the ledge, then he sat on the edge of the tub. "Come here," he whispered.

I willingly obliged, taking the few steps toward him. He pulled me into his lap and I turned my head up to kiss him. The kiss quickly deepened while still maintaining that sensual, loving quality. There was nothing frantic about our movements tonight. We sat there, him on the tub ledge, me on his lap, kissing for several minutes until he pulled away slightly and said, "You should get in before your bath gets cold."

"Me?" I asked. "No, we. _We_ should get in before _our_ bath gets cold."

"I didn't do this for me, you know. It's your birthday, and you're the one with a baby inside you. I won't be upset if you want a little time to yourself to relax."

"I want to relax, but I don't want to do it alone. Come on." I gently loosened his tie and tugged it up over his head and then unbuttoned his shirt, pushing it off of his shoulders to the floor when I was done. I marveled once again at the perfect sculpture of a man in front of me. A smile played at the corners of his lips as I ran my fingers across his toned chest. The one major change he'd requested of the house was that we turn the basement into a private gym. It had needed to be insulated, but he'd found a contracting company that miraculously kept their timetable on schedule, and the insulating job was done only two weeks after he'd hired them. I'd agreed to the gym, and during times like these, I was glad that I had. I rose from his lap, holding his hands and pulling him up with me, only to drop my hands to his pants, loosening his belt and unbuttoning and unzipping them before pushing the black fabric of both his slacks and boxers to the floor. He kicked off his shoes and stepped out of his pants, then pulled each sock off its foot. It was my turn to smile. I couldn't keep the grin off my face as I gazed at his perfect body.

"This seems a little unfair," he said quietly. "This was supposed to be your bath, and here I am completely naked while you're still fully dressed."

"What are you going to do about that?" I challenged him.

"Oh, Miss Swan, you shouldn't have asked that." I saw a telltale gleam in his eye, and before I had time to process what was happening to me, Edward's lips were on mine once again, his tongue invading my mouth greedily. He unzipped my skirt and pushed it to the floor, along with my panties in one fell swoop. I wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him as close to me as I could. I loved feeling his body against mine, and held onto him for as long as I could, until he reminded me again that we didn't want the bathwater to chill before we got in. I nodded and allowed him to unbutton my blouse. I idly noticed that it was a bit tight; I wouldn't be able to wear it again for several months. Then he unclasped and removed my bra, the last stitch of clothing on either of us.

With my clothes now shed as well, Edward took my hand and lifted my arm up, like a ballroom dancer. But instead of turning me around, he gazed lovingly up and down my body, including my growing midsection, and whispered, "Stunning." He then carefully helped me into the tub. Once I was seated comfortably, he climbed in behind me, and we sat there, me leaning against his chest for a long time, not saying anything at all, just relaxing in the lavender scented water.

When I felt completely relaxed, I turned to face him. Relaxation was nice, but I wanted the promise from his intense gaze when he'd first suggested the water. I straddled his hips, one knee on either side of him on the seat of the tub, and felt his reaction almost instantly. I smirked at him and leaned in for a kiss. This time, it was my tongue that entered his mouth first, and my arms were once again wrapped around his neck.

"Hmm, happy birthday again, my love." He wrapped his arms around my waist and I rose up on my knees, feeling him underneath the water. Aligning us carefully, I slowly slid down onto him. Our groans were simultaneous in each other's mouths.

My movements were slow and meticulous, taking my time with him tonight. There was no hurry, and I just wanted to feel him. All of him.

"Oh Bella, you feel absolutely wonderful." He loosened his arms from around my back, gently splashing water over my exposed body as his hands moved to my breasts, gently kneading them before pulling and pinching first one elongated nipple, then the other. My eyes rolled back in my head as he continued his delicious manipulation of my body. I somehow managed to not lose my momentum as I rode him and rubbed myself on him at the same time.

I reached down into the water, feeling the place where he entered my body. It struck me as something of a miracle, how male and female were designed so perfectly for one another this way. I rubbed his shaft on my upstrokes and myself on the down strokes. Between his gentle tugs on my nipples and my rubbing below the water, I knew I wouldn't last long. Sure enough, it wasn't more than another two minutes before the involuntary moans escaped my mouth, only to be swallowed up by Edward.

"Oh, God," I gasped as my body tightened around his. My head fell forward onto his shoulder as I rode out my wave.

"Keep moving, baby," he murmured when I stopped. "I need you to keep moving." With a deep breath, I sat back up and complied with his request, wanting to make sure that he got his orgasm, too, regardless of the fact that my body was completely exhausted. He moved his hands to my hips to help me move faster on him. "Just like that, love," he gasped as I lifted myself and dropped again onto him, splashing the water just a bit. "Oh Bella, Bella…" his voice trailed off. On the very next thrust, his head dropped back against the beige stonework of the tub, he stopped moving my hips and he was muttering the same "Oh, God" that I had just a minute before. I lifted and fell, lifted and fell twice more of my own accord before Edward was gasping, "Okay! Enough. Oh, God, Bella, that felt so amazing." Not ready to break the connection quite yet, I stayed down and leaned against him, chest to chest, my head resting on his shoulder once again and his arms held me tight against him.

When both of our heartbeats had slowed back down to their normal rate and our breathing was calmer, Edward gently gripped my hips and lifted me off of him. I whined just a bit at the loss, until he grabbed the body wash and lathered my skin. While he wasn't inside of me anymore, this was just as loving, the careful washing of my skin and hair. I relished every moment of it, every touch of his hands as he rubbed the soap all over my body and gently splashed the water up to rinse my shoulders and neck. When he'd finished, he said, "We should get out. The water's already getting a chill to it."

I nodded and stood in the center of the huge tub while Edward reached behind him and pulled the plug. He stood and climbed out first, walking across the room to the towel rack. He pulled one of the tan towels down and walked back to me, holding it out. I smiled and gingerly stepped out of the tub; he wrapped the towel around me before going back for his own towel.

When we'd both dried and dressed in our pajamas—we had already discussed going out, but both agreed we would rather have a quiet evening at home instead—we returned to the living room where I sat once again on the antique sofa, while Edward stoked a fire. It wasn't necessarily cold enough for a fire, but the crackles and flames were comforting and beautiful nonetheless.

"I'll be right back," he said, kissing me on the top of my head and grabbing his suit jacket before heading toward the kitchen. I watched him with a puzzled look on my face, but he didn't explain himself or even turn to look at me again. As promised, he returned a few moments later, having ditched the jacket and instead holding a small box wrapped in silver paper and tied with a purple ribbon. "Happy birthday, love," he said, handing me the box.

I blushed as I pulled the ribbon and gently pried the tape up off the paper. Underneath the paper was a simple brown box, and when I opened that, I was greeted with a translucent purple CD case. I glanced up at Edward, a questioning look on my face. "Open the case," he said. I did, and looking at the silver disc, I read in Edward's elegant, un-doctor-like handwriting, _Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. _

"What is this?" I asked.

"Your favorite book," he replied. "On tape. Read by me."

My mouth dropped open. "Oh my God, Edward, when did you have time to do this?"

"I've been planning it for ages, reading just a chapter or two at a time, mostly at the office. The quality may not be that great since I wasn't able to get to a real studio or anything, but…"

"It's perfect, Edward. Really amazing. Thank you so much." I got up on my knees beside him on the couch and threw my arms around his neck planting kisses all over his face.

He smiled and put his arms around me, pulling me onto his lap. He dropped his gaze, looking almost embarrassed, but then recovered himself quickly. "Dinner's being delivered," he said as he looked back into my eyes. "Your favorite, Italian."

I didn't even realize that Italian restaurants delivered; I thought that was reserved for pizza and Chinese. "That sounds lovely," I said just as my phone started ringing from my purse on the table in the foyer. I sighed, not wanting to ignore it but also not really terribly enthused about giving up my perch on Edward's lap. I did, though, and was glad when I read the caller ID that I had. It was my dad.

I curled up on the chair in the foyer, and talked briefly with him, basically just long enough for him to wish me a happy birthday and for me to tell him about my lovely present from Edward and the dinner we had planned and then he put my mom on the phone right after he told me, "Love you, Bells."

"I love you too, Dad." Saying those words to my dad always made me teary eyed and I could hear it in his voice too, as we never could talk about how we felt for one another without getting choked up.

"Call your mom and me soon and we'll see you for Thanksgiving. I'll put your mom on now; just a minute…" He trailed off probably not wanting to say goodbye.

"Hi, Bella, happy birthday, honey!" She sounded so happy.

"Thanks, Mom, it's so great to hear from you and dad."

"Of course we had to talk to our girl on her birthday. So tell me all about it; how's your birthday been so far?"As much as I loved hearing from my folks, I didn't want to stay on the line too long as I wanted to get back to Edward; I knew he had planned to make tonight special for me and I didn't want to take away from that. I looked over at him while my mom was talking and smiled at him and he smiled back. I knew he understood that as much as I wanted and needed him right now I also needed my parents; especially today. I still tried to keep the conversation short and it didn't take long for my mother and me to go over everything that had happened since the last time we'd talked. She caught onto my mellowness after just a few minutes, though, and said, "I can tell you're losing steam so I don't want you to use up all your remaining energy talking to me, sweetie. Go cuddle up with your man and enjoy the rest of your birthday relaxing together. You've only got a few more months left of your life belonging to you, so enjoy all the relaxation time you can get between now and March."

I sighed again, knowing that she was right; I'd already warmed to the idea of the baby, but it still barely felt real most days. Aside from the vomiting—which had been notably absent today—I didn't really spend that much time thinking about the pregnancy. "Thanks, Mom. Although, you know, I'm still having trouble wrapping my mind around it."

"It'll come, baby. Don't let yourself feel bad about that, though. I know you, and I can practically hear the guilt in your voice."

"I just feel like such a bad mo—," I started.

"You are not a bad mother, Bella," she interrupted me. "You're taking care of yourself, right? Eating and sleeping and exercising and taking your vitamins?"

"Yeah."

"Then you are doing everything you can at this stage to be a good mother. The rest will come, sweetheart, I promise."

"Thanks, Mom." Just then, the doorbell rang startling me and causing my heart to leap into my throat. It was an irrational reaction, but I couldn't help it. No matter how hard I tried to put the incident in the apartment behind me, certain things just made me jumpy. Unexpected people at the door were one of them. I was incredibly leery of strangers ever since 'the incident,' especially when they were at my house at…I glanced quickly at the wall clock and realized that it was nearly nine o'clock. "Er, Mom, I'd better go," I said, my voice sounding nervous in my own ears. "Um, someone's here."

Edward bustled by me just then, pausing to plant a kiss on the top of my head, inhaling my scent slightly while he was there. He knew that I'd be nervous at the doorbell, so before he continued on to the door he whispered, "It's just dinner, love. Nothing to be nervous about."

I'd forgotten that he'd ordered in. With that knowledge once again in the forefront of my mind, I was able to relax enough to hear my mom's next words. "Of course, baby. You go ahead and go. I'll talk to you later. And Bella, happy birthday, honey."

"Thanks, Mom. Thanks for calling and for everything you said. I love you."

"I love you too, hon. Bye for now."

Edward was closing the front door just as I was closing my phone. "How are your mom and dad?" he asked.

"Good. Really good. I'm glad I got to talk to them today. And thank you for not minding me jumping up off your lap and being on the phone so long right after you gave me my wonderful present you worked so hard on."

"Yes, I thought I was going to have to tell you to get off the phone. I didn't know what I was going to do with myself; I was feeling so ignored." He said this with a pout but then couldn't hold it and ended up with my favorite crooked smile on his beautiful face, as he pulled me against him, putting his arms around me and kissed me softly.

"Well, we can't have you feeling ignored now can we? So how about if I make it up to you; I promise to give you my undivided attention for the rest of the night."

"Deal. Are you ready to eat?"

"Yes, please."

With the take-out bag in one hand, he took my hand in his other, leading me back to the living room. "I thought a picnic in front of the fire would be nice tonight."

"That does sound nice," I agreed. We reentered the living room and I discovered that while I'd been curled up in the chair chatting on the phone, he'd set everything up: a big blanket on the floor, wineglasses, plates and forks. There was even a champagne bucket filled with ice and two bottles. I could only assume that one was wine for him and the other sparkling juice for me.

"Sit," he said, gesturing the blanket. "I'll be right back."

I did as I was asked and he returned a few minutes later with the food removed from the Styrofoam containers it had been delivered in and instead in our own bowls from the kitchen: salad in one, breadsticks in a small basket and fettuccine Alfredo in the last bowl. I wasn't entirely sure how he managed to juggle all three dishes, but he did, and without spilling a drop. "I'm impressed," I said as he carefully set them all down on the blanket between the two plates. "I never could have managed that."

"I know." He grinned his crooked smile and I knew he was teasing me, so with the food safely on the blanket, I pushed his shoulder in mock frustration. "Oh, Miss Swan, are you really sure you want to get into this now?" he said, his eye gleaming again, just like it had before our bath.

I was taken aback, and my first response was to back off. Then I decided, what the hell, it's my birthday, and if he's willing—and able—to go again, I'd love to a second round as well. "I think I am, Dr. Cullen," I replied seductively, batting my eyelashes at him, "but give me a sec, I think we need some sustenance first." I picked up my fork and dug it into the fettuccine and twirled it around and quickly put it in my mouth, licking the spoon afterwards and then dug it into the fettuccine a second time only this time I stuck the rather large fork full in Edward's mouth and as I did he grabbed my hand to hold it long enough for him to lick the fork as well and then he took the fork from me and put it down on my plate.

"I think that's enough sustenance for now, _signorina_."

"Okay, ready," I said, giggling at his eagerness. He hadn't sat completely down yet; he was sitting on his knees with his bottom on his heels, so he easily stalked toward me, around the food.

Half an hour later, we were eating room temperature pasta, basking in the afterglow of our post love making bliss and neither of us could care less that it wasn't piping hot anymore. Cuddling in Edward's lap as we fed each other salad and noodles and bread, I was blissfully happy. "Happy birthday, love," he said one more time as we were finishing our dinner.

"Thank you," I replied, not for the first time, as I stretched my neck up to kiss him again. "It's been probably the best birthday I've had in recent memory."

"I'm glad. Have I ever told you that I'm glad you came here? To be with me?"

"Once or twice," I said, smiling.

"Well, I really mean it. You have no idea how long I've waited for you. I was beginning to believe meeting the one person meant for me was not in the cards… then I realized I already had but I thought I was too late. I love you so much, Isabella. You are the highlight of my life."

I dropped my head to his chest, blushing furiously and trying to hide the tears in my eyes. I couldn't leave that statement alone, though. "Edward, you're the highlight of my life, too," I murmured into his bare chest. He kissed the top of my head, and I could have sworn that I felt his smile in my scalp.

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Remember, review=teaser.**

**Special shout-out to Humble4 for the audiobook idea. Thanks bb :).**

**Oh, and for anyone who's interested, I've rewritten chapter 10 (Catalyst) so that it's not quite as harsh and cringe-worthy. Take a read if you're interested.  
**


	28. Flutters

**A/N:** **I don't own **_**Twilight**_**.**

**Special thanks to my friends, Gerri (super beta extraordinaire) and Rory (the best pre-reader a girl could hope for), for making my story look like a super hero with their beautiful red and blue correction marks :). **

**And of course, thanks to you, for reading.**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: FLUTTERS**

**Bella**

The day had finally arrived. It had been over a month since my birthday and about three weeks since our last appointment with Dr. Snow. The conversation requesting the amnio—and paternity test—had been uncomfortable to say the least, but he was very professional and agreed to run the test for us. I wasn't entirely sure whether he had agreed as a courtesy to Edward as a fellow doctor or if he would have agreed to anyone. It didn't really matter, though. I'd also had the conversation with Jacob at work, letting him know that I was pregnant. I didn't think I would have been able to put it off much longer, as I was already having to replace my wardrobe. Some of my 'regular' clothes still fit, but none of my work clothes. Those were all stiffer fabrics with less give, and I just wasn't comfortable in them anymore. And no matter how many times Edward assured me that I still looked "beautiful," I felt far from that. Jacob had been very understanding, and even opened up to me that he and his wife, Leah, were trying to conceive one of their own.

I'd taken the entire day off for the test today, as well as the following day, Friday, for recuperation, under Dr. Snow's recommendation. He'd said that while the test looks worse than it is, it would still be better for me to have the option of resting when the test was over. So, on that Thursday morning, I'd gotten to sleep in a bit while Edward got ready for work. It was lovely; I'd been going, going, going nearly every day with my job, and I honestly hadn't realized how burned out I was getting until I had the opportunity to rest on a weekday. I caught a glimpse of the red digits on the alarm clock—6:15 a.m.—when Edward kissed me on the forehead and whispered, "I'm leaving for work, love. Remember, we've got your appointment this afternoon, at one o'clock, okay?"

"I remember," I muttered, only half awake.

"Okay. I'll see you then, alright?"

"Mm-kay."

One more light kiss and he was gone. I fell asleep again quickly, and woke feeling more refreshed than I had in ages almost three hours later. I yawned and stretched and went through my standard morning routine, just at a much slower and more relaxed pace than normal. I was quite hungry when I woke up, so the first thing I did was to go to the kitchen and grab a banana from the fruit bowl and put a bagel in the toaster for breakfast. I ate the banana while the bagel was toasting, and when it popped up, I smeared it with a thin layer of cream cheese and ate that, too. Feeling better with food in my stomach, I returned to the master suite for my shower. I stood under the calming pulse for ages before finally washing my hair and skin and getting out. I dried carefully and dressed for comfort today, just like both Dr. Snow and Edward had suggested. I wore my grey yoga pants and a plain white tee-shirt. The elastic in the waistband stretched enough for my slightly bulging belly to fit comfortably. Clean and sated, I decided to make use of my outfit. I walked down the stairs to the home gym and turned on a yoga DVD on the mounted TV hanging from one corner. It was exactly what I needed; the yoga helped me stretch and feel like I'd exercised without getting overly sweaty and gross. After the forty-five minute exercise program was over, I stood back up from my yoga mat and stretched one more time, feeling amazing. Just then, I heard my phone ringing and I was glad that I had brought it downstairs with me, so I didn't have to go far to answer it. I picked it up and pressed the talk key without bothering to look at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Hi honey, just calling to make sure my beautiful girl is up and to see how you're doing. So, you doing okay, love?" Edward asked.

"Yes, I'm fine, between getting to sleep in, doing yoga, which I just finished a moment ago and now getting to hear from you, I'm doing really good, baby."

"That's good to hear. So listen, I won't keep you, like I said, I just wanted to check in; oh and did you get something to eat too? Remember, this isn't like other surgical procedures; you're allowed to eat this morning."

"Yeah, of course, I'm really fine Edward. How are you holding up?"

"Well, I haven't gotten you off my mind all morning so let's just say I can't wait for this to be over with, but that's just me. I know it will go great and then we'll just have to wait for the results and that's it. That's all." He sounded kind of anxious, but like he was trying to sound strong for me. _That's my Edward._

"I love you Edward, so much. Thank you for calling, it means a lot."

"I'm glad I was able to."

"See you soon?"

"Yes, I'll be here waiting for you. I love you, too, Bella. Bye for now."

"Bye." I held onto my phone as I walked back upstairs and looked at the wall clock in the living room. It was only eleven o'clock, which meant I had just over an hour before I needed to leave for the doctor's office. I could afford a bit of television time considering the busy morning I'd already had.

It was a half an hour later that I realized that daytime TV was worthless. I turned it off, more bored than I had been before I'd watched it in the first place. I wasn't terribly hungry, considering it had only been about two and a half hours since my breakfast, but I wasn't sure how I'd be feeling after the procedure, and I didn't want to come home hungry but unable to muster up the energy to prepare a meal. So, I went back to the kitchen and quickly chopped some lettuce and pulled out the pre-cooked chicken from the refrigerator. A bit of Caesar dressing and some Parmesan cheese and croutons, and I had the perfect light lunch. It was enough that I'd be good until after my appointment, but not too heavy since it really hadn't been that long since I'd had breakfast. I also poured a large glass of water, drinking the entire thing and one more with my salad, since I'd be having an ultrasound along with the amniocentesis today.

By the time I finished eating, it was time to go since I now had a forty-minute drive to the doctor's office rather than living right in the city. I filled my aluminum water bottle with filtered water from the fridge for the drive over, and carrying it with me, I walked outside, taking care to lock the house behind me. I climbed into my truck and drove the now-familiar route.

I parked in the doctor's office parking lot and walked in through the front doors, immediately going up to the front desk to check in with Kate. She'd warmed to me considerably over the past several weeks. I still wasn't quite sure why she'd disliked me in the first place, and had never asked Edward why. It didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, I decided, so I just allowed myself to be happy that she was nice to me now.

"Good afternoon, Bella," Kate greeted me as I approached her workstation.

"Hi, Kate."

"It hasn't been a full month already, has it?"

"No. Actually, Dr. Snow is doing an amniocentesis today." I purposefully left out the fact that he'd agreed to do the test only after Edward and I had asked him to do it. I also avoided telling her the main reason for the test.

"Okay. Well, I'm glad it's that and not that I'm losing my mind," she laughed. I smiled at her in return. "Alright, well, if you're having an amnio, that means an ultrasound, so don't leave your sample until the end." She nodded toward the bathroom.

"Right," I replied, acknowledging her instruction.

"And I'll let Drs. Snow and Cullen know that you're here."

"Thanks, Kate." I went over and sat in what had become my normal chair. I picked up the latest copy of People magazine and leafed through it while I waited for my name to be called.

I was halfway through the _Heroes Among Us _article when I felt a fluttering in the pit of my belly. It felt familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, almost like the infamous 'butterflies in your stomach' phenomenon. Not quite the same, though. Besides, despite what I was about to experience, I wasn't nervous. _So what was that fluttering? _As soon as the question passed through my mind, I instantly knew the answer. I had just felt the baby move for the first time. My hand dropped from the magazine to my stomach and I felt a sense of complete awe, and for the first time in my life, I felt like _this_ was _real – my baby, our baby. _Seeing the heartbeat on the first ultrasound and hearing it during my last appointment had been pretty cool, but now, feeling her—or him—move, I felt like a mother for the first time; a tear leaked from my eyes at the idea. And with those thoughts, my heart swelled, making me feel like the Grinch at the end of the cartoon. Despite the comforting words from my mom and Edward and Esme that the love would come, I'd been feeling guiltier and guiltier with each passing day that I didn't feel the love for the baby that I thought I should. But now, my heart was growing. I could feel it. Love for the _life_ developing inside me suddenly filled my entire being, replacing every ounce of that guilt. And for the first time, I felt like a mom. I now understood what Edward had meant when he'd said 'the biology doesn't matter.' He'd had this revelation already; his heart had filled with love for this baby growing inside me, even before mine had. I loved him so much and this baby, too. I suddenly realized my cheeks were getting cold and wet from shed tears; I quickly wiped them away. I felt so elated, so in love, and so blessed to have Edward and to have _our_ baby growing inside me. I realized I was no longer worried about the results; I would be happy either way... we all would be just fine.

This whole thought process took only about a minute, and then the door leading to the examination rooms was opening, and I was vaguely aware of my name being called. I looked over toward the door with what felt like glassy eyes, and when I saw Dr. Snow's medical assistant, Emily, standing there and Edward next to her, I snapped out of my reverie. I closed the magazine and set it back on the table, rose from my chair, gave my cheeks another pass with my thumb to make sure I removed any remaining moisture—and was silently grateful that I hadn't put any makeup on this morning—and then walked over and joined the two of them. Edward smiled at me and leaned down to give me a quick one-arm hug and kiss on my cheek.

"Bella, how are you, are you ready to do this?"

"I'm more than ready, and I'm actually doing really great. Let's do this," I said with a smile.

Emily checked my weight and then led us to the ultrasound room.

"So, you're just getting the amnio today, right Bella?" she asked, looking at my chart.

I smiled into her beautiful café au lait colored face and deep brown eyes. "Yeah, just the test. Is it going to hurt?" The smile left my face as the nerves started to kick in now that I was actually in the room.

"Honestly, I can't really answer that. I've never had one done. From what I hear, though, it can range from no pain at all to a considerable amount." I felt my face blanche and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward shoot her a dirty look. "Most women say that it's not much worse than getting a shot, though," she added hurriedly at the look on his face.

Edward had already told me this, on the drive from Seattle to here several weeks ago, but I just felt the need to get another opinion, an unbiased one. "That's it? Just like getting a shot?" Not that getting a shot was a walk in the park, but I could deal with one shot. I wanted this test done, after all, so I could deal with it. The pain would be temporary, but the information gained from the test would be monumental in helping me to relax and feel so much more comfortable in the long run.

"I believe so," Emily said with a reassuring smile, removing the blood pressure cuff she'd placed on my arm a moment ago. I smiled stiffly back at her. "Dr. Snow should be in soon."

"Thank you, Emily," Edward told her. She nodded at him and exited the room.

He turned to me now that we were alone, and I didn't want to have the same conversation that we'd had in the ER after I'd sprained my ankle. He'd been light-hearted about it then, but I had a feeling that if I constantly second-guessed what he told me medically, eventually he'd quit being so forthcoming with his medical wisdom or understanding of my need to know. So I headed him off at the pass and spoke before he could. "So, guess what happened when I was out in the waiting room?"

"What?" he asked, looking interested. _Potential crisis averted, _I thought.

"The baby moved." I could feel the elation on my face and saw it mirrored in his.

"You're kidding!"

"No. I'm sure that's what it was, too. I'm what, around eighteen weeks now?" He nodded. "So, according to what little research I've been able to do on the office computer, it's not too early to be feeling it. Right?"

"Right," he choked out emotionally, reaching over and taking my hand.

"It was just a light fluttering, almost like nervousness, but I wasn't nervous then. I'm sure it was the baby."

Edward squeezed my hand, obviously unable to form his thoughts into words through his emotion. Fortunately, Dr. Snow walked in just then. "Good afternoon, Bella. Dr. Cullen," he said, nodding at each of us in turn. I was glad he called me by my first name, even if he called Edward by his title. I liked the familiarity of him using my first name. He reached out and shook our hands. "So, big day today, eh? Now, before we start, I just need to make absolute sure. You want the amniocentesis today for the primary purpose of determining paternity, is that right?"

"Yes," I said, trying to sound resolute in my decision. Edward just nodded, and I wasn't sure if his silence was because he was still emotional from my telling him that I'd felt the baby or because he'd kept insisting even as late as last night before bed that he didn't feel the need for the test.

"Okay, then, Bella, go ahead and lie down on your back, and we'll get started."

I did as he instructed, and within minutes, he'd started the ultrasound, having placed the cold jelly on my abdomen first. He was moving the transducer all over my belly and Edward leaned over and whispered in my ear, "He's looking for a place with plenty of fluid that's not too close to the baby or the cord." I loved having a doctor for my baby's father—when he wasn't busy trying to shelter me from the truth about certain things, that was. It was really nice having him around to explain to me what was going on. A moment later, Dr. Snow paused his movements and examined the screen, then nodded to himself. He swabbed some rust colored liquid, "Iodine," Edward whispered, over my belly and then spread a blue, paper-towel feeling drape over my slightly swollen abdomen.

"Dr. Cullen, I know you're more the daddy than the doctor, but would you mind helping me out here? Just by running the ultrasound?"

"Of course." Edward stood, walking around my table to stand next to the doctor.

"Just to make sure I don't get too close to the baby," Dr. Snow explained to me. I swallowed and nodded. He opened a package then, a long skinny package, and pulled out what I could only assume was the needle. It was huge. My breaths quickened and Edward squeezed my hand with his free hand. I forced myself to take deep, calming breaths, and I shut my eyes, imagining that I was walking along Navy Pier with Edward instead of about to have a gigantic needle stuck through my stomach. "You ready, Bella?" Dr. Snow's voice broke through my daydream.

I inhaled through my nose and nodded. I could feel the ultrasound transducer sliding over my skin, and it was rather comforting to know that Edward was running it. Then came the poke. I inhaled sharply, through my mouth this time, and bit the inside of my cheek to prevent from crying out loud. "It's okay, Bella, you're doing just fine. I'm going to push the needle just a little further in, okay?" I didn't respond; I knew a rhetorical question when I heard one.

"Gah!" I couldn't keep the sound in as he pushed a bit harder; it was quite painful, actually. Worse than the blood draw or shot that everyone had been telling me it would feel like. It was like the worst menstrual cramps I'd ever felt in my life. My breaths came in shallow spurts and I could feel the tears flowing down my temples and landing with soft _plop_s on the paper below me.

"We're nearly done, Bella. Just hang on for another minute or so, okay?"

Edward was still holding my hand with his free hand, and I gripped it tightly, and wrapped my other hand around the edge of the table, trying to push all of the pain out through my fingertips. Then there was a sudden feeling of relief and all the pressure was gone. I could tell, even without looking, that the needle had been withdrawn and that Edward had removed the ultrasound transducer as well. He was now holding my hand in both of his as Dr. Snow wiped my abdomen with a dry tissue and placed a large band-aid over the injection site. "You did very well, Bella," he praised me. "We've got what we need, and we'll run the test you've asked for as well as the other normal tests on the amniotic fluid. You should have results in ten to fourteen days."

"Thank you," I whispered.

When I'd recovered, we met up with Emily again, and she led us into an exam room where Edward helped me sit on the paper-covered table. Emily prepped my arm and took just one vial of blood. After the amniocentesis, that almost felt good. Almost. Once I was bandaged up, she said, "Okay, Bella, you're all done. I just need a sample from Dr. Cullen next."

Edward helped me down from the table and onto one of the waiting chairs, then took my place on the table, unbuttoning his cuff and rolling up his shirt sleeve. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the wall, and before I knew it, Emily was saying, "Okay, you guys, all done."

"Thanks, Emily," Edward said.

"You're welcome," she replied, her tone sounding almost grave.

Edward got down from the table and walked over to where I was sitting, helping me to stand and then guiding me back toward the waiting room.

"I don't think I can drive home," I said tiredly.

"I know, love. My mom's here to take you home."

"Oh, Edward, thank you. I never even thought about how I would get home, or that I might not be up to driving."

"How do you feel, Bella? Are you in a lot of pain?"

"No, not too much; it's a little sore, but mostly I just feel kind of off, queasy I guess. And so tired. I'll be fine though, Edward, I just want to lie down for a while when I get home. Stop worrying." I reached up to his face and tried to rub the deep worry line away from between his brows.

"I'm not worried; I know you'll feel better soon, I just really hate seeing you in any pain. I'll feel better when you are home lying down and I am home with you. Do me a favor and call or text when you get home?"

"I'll feel better when I'm home lying down, too. And of course I'll call you. Thanks again for asking your mother to drive me. You're the best." I smiled up at him.

"You're welcome, love." Edward put his arms around me and gently hugged me to him.

x-x-x

**Edward**

I spent the next several days trying to pretend like everything was normal for Bella. I felt the enormity of the decision we'd made in getting this test done every time I looked at her, though. I knew that I felt nervous over the decision, but I wasn't sure whether that was from the fact that we'd had the test done or from the ramifications if it came back the 'wrong' way. Every time I thought about the possibility of it going the other way, adrenaline spiked through my blood, making me jumpy and my heart race. So I tried not to think about that.

I spent my workdays focusing harder than normal on my patients, and frankly avoiding Dr. Snow. I liked him, both as Bella's doctor and as my supervisor in the clinic, but I was afraid if I spent too much time around him, I'd go mad. I spent my evenings at home, with Bella, and the test results were like the elephant in the room. I could tell by her expressions and demeanor that she was thinking about little else, and I was too. I did everything in my power to hide my fear and trepidation over it, though. I was the man, after all. I had to be tough for her. So, I tried to keep up with our normal activities, and ever since she'd told me that she'd felt the baby move right before the amnio, I'd been anxious to feel it, too. So when we cuddled under the quilt that my mother had made for me when I was ten, watching movies in the living room, my hands never left her belly. She giggled a lot, every time she felt it move, but there had still been no external sign of what she was feeling.

It was during one of these evenings in front of the fire and the television when we had another conversation about an optional procedure. "Do you want to know the gender of the baby?" she asked me, intertwining her fingers with mine under the quilt, over her belly. "I mean, before it's born?"

I dodged her question; I'd gotten a pretty good look from watching the ultrasound screen during her amniocentesis. I hadn't told her yet, though, because I wasn't a hundred percent sure. "Do you want to find out?"

"I don't know," she mused. "There are benefits to finding out, of course, like we could pick a name and start decorating the nursery, but I kind of like the idea of being surprised in the hospital, too. It's a hard decision."

"Do you have any ideas for a nursery theme?" I asked, honestly curious. It wasn't something I'd spent much time thinking about.

"Not specifically. I was assuming that we'd find out the sex before I made any final decisions."

"That sounds completely fair and reasonable. It also sounds like that gives you your answer regarding whether or not we should find out in advance. I think we probably should, if for no other reason than to start getting the room ready. I think it would be best to bring the baby home to a ready room, don't you?"

"Yeah, probably," she said. "What about the bigger parts of the room, though? The crib and changing table and the rest of the furniture we'll need?"

"What about it?"

"Well, we need to get that stuff, right?"

"Yeah. Don't worry about it, Bella, everything will come together, I promise."

"Isn't it going to cost a lot, though?"

"Bella," I said, holding myself back from laughing when I realized she was actually serious. "Even taking the inheritance out of the equation, you're a lawyer and I'm a doctor for crying out loud. Money is not a problem, love, I promise. We will be able to get anything we need. Don't worry."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I forget that sometimes, when I get caught up with thinking about all the things we still need to do, to be ready."

I gave her a wry smile and kissed her temple. "We have lots of time, love, to get everything ready, and we will, I promise. Besides we have your mom and my mom to make sure of it."

x-x-x

The very next day, I was sitting at my desk examining charts for upcoming patients over my lunch of micro-waved pasta and sauce when there was a knock on my office door. "Come in," I called distractedly.

I glanced up as the door opened, and Dr. Snow strode in. "Good afternoon, Edward," he said. He always addressed me by my first name when we were alone, but by my title when we were with patients, including Bella. It was a nice way for him to handle things, the right combination of professional and personal.

"Hi," I said nervously. I could only imagine two ways this conversation would go. Either he was going to call me out for avoiding him the past week and a half, or he had the test results.

He sat down in a chair on the opposite side of my desk. "I've got your results here." I felt the familiar rush of adrenaline in my veins at his words. "I know you'd be able to sift through them no problem, but I've just included the one test you guys were most concerned about in here," he said, placing a sealed envelope on the desk between us. I sat there, looking expectantly at the envelope, as if it would suddenly break into song or something, whistling the results to me. Of course, it didn't.

"Have you… I mean, have you looked at it?" I croaked.

"That's neither here nor there," he said, and I knew he was right. "Why don't you take the rest of the day off, go home to Bella? As you know, I normally take Tuesdays as my afternoon off, so I'll take your patients for the rest of the day. You need to be with her, and the two of you need to go over the contents in that envelope together."

My heart was pounding in my ears; I could barely hear Dr. Snow's words. "Thank you, sir. Before I commit to that, let me just make sure that Bella's available to leave her job early as well. I'd hate to take your afternoon from you for no reason."

"That's very considerate of you, Edward, thank you. I'll be in my office, just let me know, as soon as you know, alright?"

"Yes, sir."

He stood from the chair and walked from the room, closing the door behind him. With trembling hands, I dialed Bella's number. Even though she was listed in my contacts, I still had to try three times to get the right number. I listened to the monotonous ringing nervously, hoping that she'd be on lunch, too. On the fourth ring, I was ready to give up, and hope that she'd call me back later, but just before her voicemail picked up, I heard an excited, "Hey! You never call me during the day. What's up?"

I wanted to disagree with her assessment that I never called her, but I had a bit of tunnel vision at that moment. I cleared my throat before attempting to speak. "Is there any possibility you can take the afternoon off?"

"Why?" She sounded confused.

"Er, well, Dr. Snow just left my office, leaving me a sealed envelope."

"A sealed…? Oh!" I could just imagine a light bulb going off over her head, like a cartoon. "Uh, let me check with Jake. I'm sure I can arrange something, though. I'll call you back in, like, three minutes, okay?"

"Okay. I'll be waiting. I love you."

"I love you, too."

I fingered the envelope, desperately wanting to just rip it open, but I knew that would be not only inappropriate, but disrespectful to Bella. This was something that we needed to discover together. I set it back on my desk and drummed my fingers across the dark wood impatiently. Just a few beats later, my phone was vibrating. "Hello?"

"Hey, sweetie. Jake said I could have the afternoon off; that it would be no problem since I am awaiting the results of a motion I filed today and I won't hear anything until at least tomorrow morning anyway. So, I'll meet you at home, okay?"

"Yeah. I'm leaving right away. Drive safely and I'll meet you there."

"You too. Love you."

"Love you too."

I ended the call and put my suit jacket on over my dress shirt, carefully tucking the envelope into the inner pocket. I left my office and locked the door behind me, then walked down the hall to Dr. Snow's office and let him know that I would be taking him up on his offer of taking the afternoon off, then immediately headed for the parking lot.

Seven minutes after having hung up with Bella, I was in my car driving home.

Our commutes were almost exactly the same distance from the house, so I knew that though I was there first, Bella would be there soon. I just stood outside, leaning against my car and sure enough, within two minutes, she was pulling up next to me. I opened her door and she stepped down from the truck, looking at me expectantly. "You have it, right?"

While it would have been funny to toy with her, I was suddenly desperate to read what the paper inside the envelope said as well. It was odd; I knew I'd be supportive either way, and whereas two week ago I hadn't even wanted the test, now that it was done and the results were in my pocket, all I wanted was to read that sheet of paper. So I answered her honestly and seriously rather than teasing. "Yep, right here." I pulled out the envelope and handed it to her.

"And you haven't read the results yet?"

"No. I waited for you."

I could see her hands shaking as she took the off-white paper from me, looking at it critically. "So, this is it," she murmured. "The answer to the most important question of our lives."

"That's it," I murmured back. "Should we go inside and open it?"

"Yeah, I suppose so."

I felt my face holding firm in grim determination, being strong for her. Regardless of what the words on that paper said, I vowed to myself that I would keep my composure and not show any trace of disappointment. _Just in case. Hope for the best while preparing for the worst._ I gripped her hand and wove my fingers in between hers, giving her hand a squeeze of support, then we slowly made our way up the walk. I unlocked and opened the door with my key, and held it open for Bella to enter first. I followed her over the threshold and we walked in what felt like slow motion to the living room. It was like walking through a sea of Jell-O with lead feet. I felt like I was dreaming or something. My breathing was slow and careful; my natural inclination at this moment was to hold my breath, but I knew that wouldn't be helpful for either of us, so I continued the purposeful in-out-in-out through my nose.

We finally arrived in the living room, a walk that under normal circumstances took only about ten seconds. Today, though, it took well over a minute. Bella sat on the antique sofa, and looked so timeless and beautiful there, like she didn't belong anywhere else. She was stunning. Seeing her there like that, I knew that the words I'd spoken so long ago were really true. It didn't matter what the paper said. I was here for the two of them no matter what. Keeping my composure no longer felt like it would be difficult. "Why don't you open it?" I suggested, sitting down next to her. That seemed appropriate, since she was the one who most wanted to know.

"Okay," she whispered, turning the envelope over and over in her hands. I watched her for a long time, just turning the envelope faster and faster, before I grabbed her wrists to stop her.

"It's okay. Really. This is what we wanted, remember? We want to know."

"Yeah."

"So go ahead and open it."

"What if it's the wrong answer, though?" Tears were welling up in her eyes.

"There is no wrong answer here, Bella. I'm not leaving you, regardless of what that paper says, and I will love this child as if he or she is my own flesh and blood either way… I promise you." She peeked up at me through her eyelashes and blinked, causing the tears to drip out. I wiped her cheeks dry with my hands. "Are you ready?"

She took several deep breaths and I mimicked her, needing the reassurance as well. "Yes, I'm ready," she said firmly after a moment.

"Go ahead."

She turned the envelope over one more time, ran her finger underneath the seal and lifted the flap. She slowly pulled the tri-folded sheet out of its sheath and unfolded it, reading it carefully. Very stoically, her face not revealing anything for once, she handed the paper to me. I read at the top, _Interpretation: Based on the DNA evidence, the alleged father, EDWARD CULLEN, can not be excluded as the biological father of the child because they share the same genetic markers. The probability of the stated relationship is 99.994% as compared to an untested, unrelated person of the same ethnicity._

I gulped, and looked at Bella, who was smiling and yet had tears streaming down her face. "I read that correctly, right?" she said, her voice low.

Blinking back tears of my own, I said, "Yes," I put my hand on her abdomen, "This baby is ours."

**Did any of you really think I wouldn't go this way? I'm all about the HEA!**

**Are you happy for them? Tell me what you think.**

**One last thing: remember that I've submitted an (anonymous) entry to the Musical Cues contest. I'd really, really appreciate it if you guys would read the entries and vote. Voting is open now (squeal!) until midnight (US Eastern Standard Time) on Saturday night, 18 December 2010. Winners are announced on Sunday the 19****th****, so I'll let you guys know next week how I did. Thanks in advance for reading and voting (even if you don't vote for me). The link for the contest entries and the poll for voting can be found on my profile. **

**Review=teaser. See you next week.**


	29. An Unhappy Halloween

**A/N:** **I don't own **_**Twilight**_**.**

**Special thanks to my friends, Gerri (super beta extraordinaire) and Rory (the best pre-reader a girl could hope for), for making my story look like a super hero with their beautiful red and blue correction marks :). **

**And of course, thanks to you, for reading.**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: AN UNHAPPY HALLOWEEN**

**Edward**

Bella was crying, happy tears, I hoped. I knew that the tears threatening my eyes were those of joy and relief. She crawled over the couch, climbing into my lap, and I eagerly wrapped my arms around her. I nuzzled my face in her hair, relishing the strawberry scent. "Over ninety-nine percent?" she asked. "So, no doubts, right?"

"No doubts." I smiled into the top of her head, elated at the words that we'd just read on the paper together.

"Thank you for agreeing to the test," she said quietly, sincerely.

"I'd do anything for you, you know that. And frankly, you're right; it does feel good to know for sure." I really meant that, too. I had been initially opposed to the idea of the test, but now, having gotten the answer I wanted, I was glad that we'd had it done. Bella turned her face and kissed my chest through my dress shirt. I could almost feel the relief radiating off of her. I felt it, too, and our deep breaths were in perfect tandem with one another. "I have an idea," I said after several minutes of simply holding her.

"What's that?"

"Let's go away soon, you know, to celebrate. Just the two of us."

She looked up at me. "Really?"

"Yeah. After everything we've been through, I think we deserve it, don't you?"

"Okay. Yeah, that sounds great," Bella said. Her eyes gleamed with just a smidge of excitement. Or maybe it was just the joy over the test still shining through. I wasn't sure, and it didn't matter.

"When do you want to go?" I asked her.

"Hm. Let's wait a few more weeks, and go after we find out the gender. That way we'll have two things to celebrate, and that gives you time to plan."

I smiled happily, glad that she was so amenable to a trip, even just a weekend away. "That sounds great, Bella. A really good idea. Don't you worry about a thing; I'll make all the arrangements. You just tell me when you want to go, and I'll make it happen."

"How can I resist an offer like that?" she asked, smiling up at me.

x-x-x

I was not exactly surprised when my father called me two weeks before Halloween to invite me—and Bella—to the annual costume party that his hospital hosted. I went every year, sometimes alone and sometimes with a date. It all just depended on the year. It was normally a pretty good party; they hosted it for the staff and their families as well as other prominent businessmen in the city, and the whole thing doubled as a fundraiser for the hospital with a silent auction. So while I wasn't surprised to hear from him, I was slightly taken aback at how late in the year it already was. I tried to cover my shock, though I'm not sure whether or not my father bought my act. After getting the details of this year's shindig from him, I was very noncommittal, telling him that I would need to talk to Bella before making a firm RSVP.

When I brought it up to her a couple of days later, after having forgotten and suddenly remembered with no provocation, Bella actually seemed excited about the prospect of the party.

"Really? A costume party? For grown-ups?" she asked each question separately, with an air of disbelief.

"Yes, it's a combination costume party and fundraiser for the hospital. After what happened to my grandfather over the summer, I feel especially drawn to the fundraiser this year." She nodded seriously, her demeanor having changed suddenly from childlike wonder at the thought of a costume party to grown-up solemnity at the reminder of my grandfather, and the fact that we were living in his house.

"It sounds wonderful, Edward. I'm happy to go with you and be a part of raising money for the hospital. And to get to go to a party at the same time, well, that's just icing on the cake."

I smiled at her. "I'll let my father know that we'll be there, then."

x-x-x

I felt like a picky 'schoolgirl' as we stood in the costume shop. Bella had chosen her costume quickly; she'd confided that she'd always wanted to wear one of those French maid dresses, the black and white one with the fishnet stockings. "It has the added bonus of the little apron that will help hide my baby bump," she added in defense of her choice.

"Okay, two things," I said, looking at her as she stood there, wearing her costume in the costume shop. "First of all, you don't have to defend your choice to me. If that's the costume you want, then get it. In fact," I leaned in close to her and whispered directly into her ear, "I think we should buy it instead of renting it. I think you look stunning, and we could definitely get some use out of it later."

Bella blushed a furious shade of red and turned on her heel to return to the dressing room. I smiled to myself and went to look through the men's costumes one more time, in case I'd missed something. A moment later she walked up behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist and holding her costume in front of me. I took it from her and turned to kiss her. "The other thing I was going to mention before you stalked off so suddenly, Miss Swan," I said, looking into her eyes and smiling, "was that you don't need to hide your baby bump. Personally, I think you should display it proudly. But I know you're still self-conscious about it, and that's fine."

"It's not that I'm ashamed," she said defensively. "It's just, well..." she trailed off, shrugging. "I don't know. I guess I worry that people will think we're not… you know, committed or something." She gripped her left hand in her right and rubbed them together nervously.

I eyed her hands and she ceased the movements immediately. "It doesn't matter what everyone else thinks. We know the truth, and the truth is that we're committed. Things will happen for us when they happen, Bella. I mean, look at us, things didn't really start in a conventional manner, did they?" She nodded her head minutely. I cupped her chin and lifted it slowly so that I could look at her face. "So why change now? Don't worry about everyone else. You'll be on my arm as much of the night as possible. I won't let you go, except when I absolutely have to and our commitment will show in our actions and the way we look at each other with our 'hearts on our sleeves,' rather than our jewelry."

"Okay," she whispered.

I wasn't entirely sure what I was looking for in a costume for myself, but I did know that I hadn't found what I wanted here, so I led Bella up to the register where we purchased her costume. It turned out that it wasn't that much more to buy than to rent, so everything worked out well.

A phone call from my brother as I drove us home was just the motivation I needed to get a costume idea. He'd called to ask if he could borrow a pair of my surgical scrubs and cap and go as a doctor, and I'd of course agreed. "So what are you going as?" he asked after I'd said he could borrow my clothes.

"I'm not sure yet," I started, then stopped talking suddenly. "Hey, if you're borrowing my clothes, do you think I could borrow your dress uniform? Bella's going as a French maid, so maybe I could be the wealthy landowner whose house she works in or something."

Jasper laughed out loud at me through the phone. "Wow, you're really thinking this through, little bro. It can just be a costume, you know. It doesn't have to match hers in any way, shape, or form." He was right, of course, but I liked the idea of us going together in some way, no matter how contrived. In the end, my justifications for the costume didn't matter, though, and Jasper said that I could at least try on his uniform. He was a few inches shorter than me, and broader in the shoulders, so we weren't sure it would fit. If it didn't though, at least I had an idea now.

Halloween fell on a Sunday, but knowing that they were hosting a party for professionals—some of whom worked regular day shift jobs—the hospital scheduled the party for the night before, Saturday, in a hotel ballroom not far from their campus. Bella and I dressed at home—Jasper's uniform had fit, though not well, but he'd gotten me a set of clothes from one of the other officers in his division which fit me perfectly—and then drove the half hour to Chicago to the party.

Upon entering the ballroom, I could tell that Bella was shocked. She stopped walking, and I had to gently guide her along. It was lavishly decorated in a haunted house motif, similar to the previous galas I'd attended for this organization. "This is fabulous," she murmured. "Wow. They really go all out, don't they?"

"Yes, they do. It is a fundraiser first and foremost, remember. They're aiming to impress, and with the caliber of businessmen and doctors and everyone here, they've got their work cut out for them."

"I've never been to anything like this before," she said, finally tearing her eyes away from the decorations and looking at me.

I took her hand and wrapped it around my arm, the beginning of my promise from the costume shop. I wasn't going to let her go tonight, except for bathroom trips. First, we made our way over to the silent auction table, and we looked at all the items up for sale. "If you see anything here that you're interested in, then feel free to bid. As high as you're comfortable going; remember that money's not really an issue anymore." She nodded in acknowledgement. We walked the entire table and Bella didn't show any specific draw to any of the items there. One of them caught my eye, though; we'd decided on that weekend away after we'd gotten the paternity results, and I still had to plan that. There was a three day-two night stay at Sybaris Pool Suites on the auction table, and it sounded perfect. I tried to read the placard without drawing Bella's attention to what I was doing. Luckily for me, she was still overwhelmed by everything around her and wasn't paying careful attention to me at this moment. I used her distraction to my advantage and quickly pulled a pen from my jacket pocket and scrawled my name and bid on the paper in front of the 'Weekend Oasis' display. Somehow, I managed to do all of that without her noticing. I smiled to myself at my sneakiness, then quickly pulled Bella away so that she wouldn't see my name there.

"Well, look who it is," came a slow, female drawl directly to my left. I would recognize that voice anywhere, but still felt the need to turn to confirm. My eyes were greeted with the sight of my ex-girlfriend dressed as Wonder Woman.

"Hello, Tanya," I said cordially. I'd forgotten that her father was the dean of medicine at the hospital, and therefore, that she would be here tonight. _Shoot! That also means that Kate and Irina will be here somewhere, too, _I thought. I felt Bella tense at my side in recognition of the name—I must have mentioned Tanya in a letter back when she and I dated—and I held her arm in mine firmly, reaching across my body with my other hand to pat hers reassuringly.

"Edward," she drawled, extending her hand. I reluctantly moved my hand away from Bella's to shake Tanya's once. "And who is this?" She gave Bella a once-over, ending with a glare, before turning back to me.

"This is my girlfriend, Bella."

"Bella?" she asked, sounding surprised. "The girl from Washington?"

"Yes, Tanya, my pen pal Bella from Washington. She lives here now. With me." I tacked on the last sentence almost as a warning to Tanya not to mess with me tonight.

"Hm," Tanya humphed. "Well, I need to mingle. Maybe I'll see you guys later."

"That would be lovely," I lied.

"So, that was Tanya, huh?" Bella asked quietly after Tanya had left.

"Yeah, that was her."

"She's very pretty. You never mentioned in your letters how pretty she was."

I turned to face Bella. "You have nothing to be insecure about. She has nothing on you."

Bella smiled at me, and then her eyes lit up in recognition and she waved to someone over my shoulder. I turned and found myself face-to-face with my brother. "Hey, guys," he greeted us.

"Hi, Jasper," Bella said happily.

I extended my right hand to shake Jasper's and he stepped in closer to talk. "Did you see who's here?"

I rolled my eyes; I knew only one family would cause that question to tumble out of Jasper's mouth in the almost derogatory fashion that it had. "Yeah, I know. Tanya's already found us."

"Ugh, I'm sorry, bro. I've been keeping an eye on Irina, avoiding her at all costs."

"Good luck," I told him, laughing slightly. "Well, I think we're going to get a drink or something. Hey, do you know where our table is?"

"No, I haven't been up there yet."

"Okay. Well, we'll see you later, alright?"

"Yeah, okay."

"Bye, Jasper," Bella said. He smiled at her and leaned in, giving her a hug like a true big brother.

Bella and I walked arm-in-arm to the open bar situated at the far end of the 'haunted house', and ordered drinks—non-alcoholic for Bella, of course. I made a mental note to have her drive home later. I wanted to reserve the right to drink heavily in case things got heated with the Denalis later. With our drinks in hand, we continued our way around the room, and I introduced Bella to everyone I knew. After about forty-five minutes of walking around the room, Bella leaned into me and asked, "Can we go sit down for awhile? My ankles are sore."

"Of course, love. Let's go find our table."

We walked up to the front of the room, past the dance floor and the silent auction table. I chanced a glance at the Sybaris trip; someone had outbid me, so I would need to figure out a way to get back over there before the night was over. When we reached the front of the ballroom, there were at least fifteen tables, each with ten chairs and a name card at each place. I finally spotted my mother and father sitting at a table close to one wall, and I correctly assumed that we'd be seated with them. They stood to greet us as we approached the table.

"Oh, Bella, you look positively adorable," my mother gushed.

"Thank you, Esme," Bella said, beaming. "You look amazing as well." She was right, too, my mother did look pretty good—but she always does. She was dressed in all white with a halo attached to her headband and feathery angel wings attached to her back with arm straps, like a child's backpack. My father was dressed as Ares, the powerful Greek god of war, wearing a white toga, a gold-leaf crown, gold belt and bracelets and sandals that laced up his calves. I guess because my mom was an angel he wanted to be a god, I don't know, but he looked pretty good in it too I must admit, but was showing far more skin than I would be comfortable with. Knowing that Bella would be safe and comfortable here with my parents, I excused myself for a moment to make a larger bid on the Sybaris weekend.

When I arrived back at the table, I was horrified to see that Palmer Denali—dressed as Fred Flintstone—was seated next to my father. I took a deep breath and greeted him politely.

"Edward, m'boy, what a pleasure," he said in his larger-than-life, booming voice.

"Dr. Denali," I returned the greeting, shaking his hand and nodding once.

"Palmer, please," he corrected me.

"Palmer," I repeated. "Have you met my girlfriend, Bella Swan?" I introduced them.

"Yes, yes, your mother introduced us while you were away."

I nodded again. Palmer was nice enough, but if he was at our table, then that meant that the rest of his family would be as well. I wasn't sure I was prepared to spend the entire night in the company of Irina, Tanya, and Kate, not to mention their mother, Dana. Dana Denali was a real piece of work, and I struggled not to roll my eyes at the very thought of her. It was no wonder her daughters behaved the way they did, treating me and Jasper as if they were entitled to us or something. The five of us had grown up together, and when we'd hit puberty, it just made sense for us to date each other. Of course, that left poor Kate as the fifth wheel, since she was four years younger than me, as the next youngest. I'd felt bad for her, always having to tag along, so when I'd gotten hired at the clinic and found out that they were looking for a new front desk receptionist as well, I'd put in a good word for her with Dr. Snow, and she'd gotten the job. When I'd broken up with her sister, she'd started hitting on me while we were at work together, not even caring that I'd recently been attached to her sister. When I'd rebuffed her advances, she'd just gotten haughty with me, but only temporarily. As soon as she'd realized that Bella was here to stay (I suppose the fact that I put her in her place didn't hurt either), she warmed considerably to Bella, and to me as her superior as well. Kate had certainly showed herself to be a pretty good office assistant and I don't regret in the least helping her get her job. However, if it had of been one of her sisters who wanted to work at the same office as me, that would have been another story entirely and I would never have embraced that possibility. In fact, I would probably have done everything in my power to make sure it didn't happen.

The emcee took the stage then, alerting everyone that they should take their seats as dinner would be served soon. Within minutes of that announcement, we were graced with the presence of Jasper and the Denali women, all in their costumes. The waiters came around with plates of roast beef, chicken, and steamed vegetables, along with a bread basket for each table. My father and Palmer talked animatedly, not leaving much room for conversation for the rest of us at the table, but that was okay. I wasn't sure I wanted to talk to either Dana or her daughters. I got along with Kate in the office, but I wasn't sure how well I'd like her when she was in the presence of her mother and sisters.

Partway through the meal, Bella cleared her throat and wiped her mouth on the orange and black cloth napkin that had been resting in her lap. She placed it to the side of her plate and looked over at me. "I need to use the restroom," she whispered, barely making a sound.

"Okay," I said, nodding. "I'll walk you over there."

I rose from my chair and stood behind Bella's, pulling it out carefully for her. She cast me a grateful glance over her shoulder, and we walked across the room toward the bathroom. I recognized Felix, our doorman at the apartment at one of the tables; he was seated next to a woman I recognized as a nurse in my father's emergency room, Heidi something, and they wore matching vampire costumes. I nodded at him, and he returned the gesture. I added another item to my mental checklist: we should chat with Felix later. We'd mentioned wanting to spend some time with him in a non-work environment when we'd moved out, and this would be the perfect opportunity. We finished the walk to the two doors—the men's room and the ladies' room—which were at the end of a short hallway. I stood outside while Bella went through the ladies' door, and I leaned against the wall, waiting for her.

It was there that Tanya ambushed me, walking right up to where I was standing and stood directly in front of me, placing one hand on each side of my head, effectively trapping me in. "What are you doing with her?" she sneered, looking me directly in the eye. Tanya was a tall woman, and this was accentuated tonight by her red high heels.

"That's none of your concern, _Tanya," _I spat her name. Our breakup hadn't been on the best of terms; she hadn't been terribly…_willing_ to let me go when I'd ended things. "All that matters is that we are." I put my hands on her hips to push her away from me. Just then the door to the ladies' room opened, and Bella came walking out confidently, until she saw us and then a look of horror filled her beautiful face. The timing couldn't have been worse.

**Bella**

I'd finally finished putting my costume back together with some difficulty. I reminded myself never to wear fishnet stockings again. Making sure that my skirt was not tucked into my panties, I exited my stall and washed my hands. Feeling good with a now empty bladder and clean hands, I walked out of the bathroom with my head held high and my shoulders back confidently. I was instantly deflated when I walked through that door and saw Edward standing right in front of Tanya. They were standing intimately close, and my insecure nature came flooding out. I hadn't felt it in ages, but now, seeing Edward and Tanya standing there, close enough to be kissing, my heart pounded and my blood rushed through my veins almost painfully. Thoughts of rejection flooded my mind, and all I could hear was Edward's smooth voice saying "All that matters is that we are." I didn't know what it meant, but he was looking directly at me now, not at Tanya. Was he talking about her or about me? I had no idea. _We are. We are._ The words replayed over and over in my mind, and fighting back tears, I hurried away from them.

I didn't know where to go, but I knew that I didn't want to be anywhere near our table, at least until I got my emotions under control, so I found a dark corner on the opposite side of the room, hoping that I could hide out for awhile until I regained my senses. I'd just spotted the perfect place when I heard Edward's voice calling out behind me, "Get _off_ of me, Tanya!" And then, "Bella! Bella, please, wait for me!" I wasn't prepared to talk to him, though, so I picked up the pace, ironically hoping that Tanya wouldn't loosen her grip on him so that I could find my refuge. I ducked into the shadow and turned just in time to see Edward facing the room, his stunning green eyes scouring the room. I stayed hidden, not sure what else to do.

I was quickly joined by a small body; I looked over, startled, and saw Kim, Jared's wife, dressed as a kitten. "What's wrong, Bella?" she whispered. "I saw you hurry from the corridor leading to the bathrooms, and now I see Edward over there searching desperately for you. Trouble in paradise?"

I took a deep breath, willing the sobs not to take over my existence. "I came out of the restroom and he was standing with Tanya. Really close to her, it looked like they could have been kissing."

"Could have been or were? That's quite a distinction, Bella. If they were, well, then you definitely have something to be upset about. But if it was 'could have been,' then you need to get the full story."

I thought over what Kim said, but before I could process it in conjunction to what I'd seen just a few moments before, I heard another scuffle, this time coming from the foyer of the hotel. I looked up to see Jasper and Irina, and the first thought to cross my mind was _what is with these women?_ And in that, I had my answer. It had been Tanya, not Edward in the wrong. I did know that they had dated in the past; he'd mentioned her in letters before we'd gotten together. I shouldn't have been surprised to see her here, and even less surprised to see her trying to win him back. He was the perfect man, and she hadn't kept him. I knew that if I ever lost him—my heart clenched at the thought—I'd do anything I could to get him back. And I also knew in this moment that I didn't want to lose him. I looked over at Kim and said, "Thank you for pointing that out to me. You're right, I do need to get the story from him, allow him time to explain."

She leaned over and gave me a hug. "You gonna be okay now?"

"Yeah. I shouldn't have overreacted. Thanks again, Kim."

"You're welcome, Bella."

I stepped out of my 'sanctuary' and Edward's eyes were immediately drawn to me; the rest of the room was still and the movement was enough to catch his attention. A look of relief flooded his features as he hurriedly made his way over to me, nearly running, and captured me in a huge hug.

"Oh, Bella. I'm so sorry. She cornered me while I was waiting for you. That was the worst timing in the world, you coming out when you did. It wasn't what it looked like, though; I was pushing her away."

I looked over my shoulder at Kim, who'd obviously heard his words; I could tell that by the look of understanding on her face. I smiled at her again, once more expressing my gratitude at her wise words, and mouthed _thank you_ to her one more time. She mouthed back, _anytime._

Finding myself wrapped in Edwards arms, instead of him wrapped in Tanya's, was exactly what I needed to be reminded that he'd chosen me. "I really am sorry," he said again.

"It's not your fault," I said, leaning against his chest. "I shouldn't have overreacted like that. I'm sorry."

"Would you like to finish your dinner or would you rather just go?"

"No, I'm fine now, really. We don't have to go; we can go back to the table, but I'm not sure I'll eat any more. I think it would be rude to leave now, and besides, I feel like we've only just gotten here. I don't want one little incident to ruin the party."

"Good," he said, smiling down at me. He leaned in and kissed me slowly, yet chastely on the mouth, and I sighed happily, a feeling of absolute contentment washing over me. He guided me back to our table where only Carlisle, Esme, the other man, Palmer and his wife were still sitting. All of the adult children had finished their meals and scattered. I was secretly glad about that; I didn't want to have to deal with Tanya again right now. Well, I didn't want to have to deal with her ever again, but I knew that was unreasonable. She'd be around later tonight, and I'd be ready for her when she was, but for now, I was glad that she was nowhere to be seen. Edward held out my chair for me, the seat right next to Esme, and only when I was situated comfortably did he resume his seat on my other side.

Esme smiled warmly at me and patted my hand with hers in a very motherly way. The fathers, Palmer and Carlisle, were still discussing the new state of the art medical equipment they were hoping to raise the funds for with tonight's fundraiser. I liked to consider myself a bright woman, but their conversation was still over my head. Edward, on the other hand, joined right in with no problems upon our return to the table.

"Dana, Bella's just moved to the area," Esme started, obviously trying to start a conversation amongst the three of us women at the table, since the men were engrossed in their own discussion.

"Really, Bella? Where from?" Dana asked, interested.

"Oh, um, from Seattle. But I grew up in a small town a few hours away from there called Forks."

"Bella? From Forks? Surely you're not the same Bella from Forks that Edward spent all those years writing letters to?"

Her question sounded almost like an accusation. I glanced first at Edward, but he hadn't noticed anything going on at the table besides the talk he was having with his father and Palmer. I placed my hand on his thigh, needing to feel him at that moment. It didn't really matter if he was busy in another discussion, I needed to feel him. He automatically placed his hand over mine and gave it a squeeze, still not looking at me. I then shot a sideways glance at Esme, who nodded a tiny, reassuring nod at me. "Er, yes, I am." I didn't know how much more information I should voluntarily provide to this woman; obviously she was a friend of the Cullens—an acquaintance, at the very least—but I didn't know her from Eve. I hoped I wasn't being rude, but I just didn't feel the necessity in providing any more information than what she specifically asked for.

"Hm," she tsked. "So, all those years of letters, and then you just coincidentally end up in this city? Where you knew he lived?"

I flushed. "It wasn't a coincidence, Edward and I started dating, and I moved here to be closer to him." I again left out the hairy details surrounding the whole truth of how and why we'd gotten together. It didn't matter anymore. Most days, I didn't even think about Emmett and Rose anymore.

"Indeed?" Dana asked, sounding overconfident and almost…conceited.

"Yes, ma'am."

She turned her attention to Esme, completely ignoring me now. "What, none of the girls here are good enough?"

"Excuse me!" Esme nearly shouted in her surprise and shock at what Dana had just said. Miraculously, the men still were not distracted by us. She recovered her dignity quickly and lowered her voice before continuing. In fact, her voice was now nearly menacing in its tone. "Edward's choice in a partner is not the business of you or any of your daughters. He's chosen Bella, not Tanya, and the four of you would do well to remember that."

"Well," Dana said petulantly, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms over her fuzzy Wilma Flintstone costume.

"Well, nothing," Esme hissed, not sounding at all like the angel she was portraying. Although, she was being my guardian angel here, during this conversation, tonight, and for that, I was grateful.

Our table was suddenly descended by three female superheroes: a strawberry-blonde Wonder Woman whom I recognized as Tanya from our two previous encounters earlier in the evening, the blonde and beautiful Kate looking very much like Michelle Pfeiffer in her Cat-woman costume, and Irina in her red, Elektra costume looking stunning on her slim body with her silvery-blonde hair flowing down over her shoulders.

Kate smiled warmly at me, but the other two looked at me disdainfully. Where mine and Esme's and Dana's conversation hadn't gotten Edward's attention, the descent of the sisters did, and quickly. Before any of them had a chance to say anything, Edward grabbed my hand—which was still resting on his leg—and carefully pulled me up from my chair. "Let's dance," he said. Under normal circumstances, I may have argued a bit—I'd never been much of a dancer—but tonight I was desperate to get away from the Denali women, so I quickly agreed. Edward led me onto the dance floor just as the music slowed. He leaned down and kissed me sweetly on my lips as his arms wrapped protectively around my waist, and he held me close. I wrapped mine around his neck, and we swayed back and forth, not really moving much at all. "I hope Dana wasn't horrible to you," he murmured. "I should have been paying closer attention; it's just that the things they're thinking of purchasing for the hospital, well…" his voice trailed off in wonder.

"It's okay. I'm glad you're passionate about the upgrade that the hospital will be able to make with tonight's donations."

"So, how was Dana?" he asked again.

I sighed softly and rested my cheek on his chest. "She was… I don't know. She didn't seem to take too kindly to the fact that I'd moved here to be with you. I think her exact words were 'none of the girls here are good enough.'"

Edward matched my sigh and apologized again. "My father and Palmer are good friends, they have been for years. That's the only reason our families are seated at the same table. If it had been my choice, we would have been on the opposite side of the room from the Denalis. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, Edward. It's not like you assigned the seating."

"That's true; I didn't."

We were interrupted then by a tap on my shoulder. "May I cut in?" asked Wonder Woman.

I turned my head, not releasing my grip on Edward. He tightened his on me as well. "No, thank you, Tanya. We're doing just fine right now," I said. I shot her a look to go along with my words that said _he's mine now; back off. _The look of shock on her face was priceless, and I was glad that I had been the one to administer the rejection. I wasn't sure we would have gotten the same expression if Edward had declined her. She turned on her heel and stalked away angrily.

"Well done, love," Edward praised me.

"Thank you," I said, smiling.

The emcee took the stage again and announced that there was time for one more dance before dessert would be served. "Gentlemen's choice," he said. "And the only rule, guys, is that you need to ask a lady you did not accompany here tonight."

I swallowed thickly. I didn't want to dance with anyone else. What if someone I didn't know asked me. Edward read the look of complete and utter fear on my face and whispered, "We can sit this one out if you want to."

Just as I was about to nod, a large man dressed in black with a black and red cape tied around his neck approached us and smiled, revealing sharp vampire fangs. "May I have this dance, Miss Swan?" the vampire asked, holding out his hand, palm up.

"Felix!" I enthused. I hadn't seen him since we'd moved out of the apartment. Besides Edward, there were only four other men in the room that I'd feel comfortable dancing with tonight, and two of them were related to him. The third was Jared, who was already dancing with a woman I didn't recognize, and the fourth was Felix, whom I hadn't even realized was here until he'd approached us.

I looked up at Edward and he nodded, smiling. "I see Kim still hasn't been asked, so I'll see if she'll do me the honor," he said, kissing my forehead as he left me in Felix's able hands.

"You know, since I don't live in the apartment anymore, it's okay if you call me Bella, now," I told him.

"Alright, Bella," he said, and my given name seemed almost to get stuck in his throat. He was obviously still uncomfortable using it. We talked about all sorts of things over the course of the three-minute dance, and I discovered that he was harboring some unresolved self-resentment over the whole James issue. I assured him that it wasn't his fault; he shouldn't feel guilty, it wasn't his job to be there during his off time, and the incident had happened well after his shift had ended for the day. I also told him that I was pretty much over it, and really just tried to not think about it at all anymore. He seemed amenable to that, and relaxed considerably after I'd let him know that I didn't hold him responsible, so he shouldn't feel bad anymore either.

When the song ended, I stretched up and kissed him softly on the cheek. "Thank you for the dance, Felix," I said sincerely.

"It was my pleasure," he replied just as Edward approached us.

Edward and Felix shook hands before Edward placed his hand on the small of my back and started to guide me back to our table for cheesecake. "Actually, can we make another pit stop in the restroom first?" I asked. "Sorry."

"It's okay, love. I could use a trip there myself. And if I hit the men's room while you're in there, maybe I can avoid being attacked by Tanya again." He rolled his eyes at the recent memory.

I entered the restroom and was glad to find it empty. I hurried through the motions, again making sure that I hadn't tucked my skirt in someplace it didn't belong, before leaving the stall to wash my hands. Armed with the knowledge that the previous…issue had been all Tanya's doing and Edward had been a victim—for lack of a better word—I exited the restroom with the same confidence I'd had before. This time, I was practically mauled as I came out, and I found myself breathless and trapped against the wall before I'd even managed to take in my surroundings. I struggled, trying to get a look at my would-be attacker until I felt the familiar press of Edward's mouth on mine. I relaxed instantly; I'd know his lips anywhere. I wrapped my arms around him and opened my mouth, inviting him in. He eagerly accepted my invitation, and we stood there enjoying each other's company for several minutes before he finally pulled away. "You look so…hot in that outfit, but honestly, Bella, at the risk of being inappropriately abrupt, I really want to get you home and take it off of you."

My eyes popped open in surprise; Edward wasn't normally this forward. "Oh. Okay, that sounds fine, yeah, let's go." I could feel my face heating at the promise of his suggestion, but that was quickly forgotten when I heard some noise coming from the main ballroom. "What's going on?" I wondered, walking to the place where the hallway met the ballroom and glancing around. There was nothing out of the ordinary happening there, but then I heard a female voice coming from the foyer.

"Jasper, please," the voice begged.

"No," Jasper replied firmly. "I've told you, Irina, I'm not interested."

I couldn't make out her next words over the emcee's announcement that there was only an hour left in the silent auction and that everyone should return to their tables for dessert. I watched as Irina stalked past us, not noticing Edward or me at all, and marched right up to the table where her Flintstone-parents and Carlisle and Esme were sitting. "Edward, make sure Jasper doesn't get into trouble and then I'm with you, let's just get out of here and go home."

He nodded in agreement and said, "Would you like to come back to the table to say good-bye to everyone with me? I'll need to tell my parents we're going and then get our coats from the coat check area."

"I don't mind waiting here. But please hurry."

He leaned in for a kiss, which I happily returned before he turned away and disappeared into the crowd. Just a few minutes later, he returned, as promised wearing his coat and mine was draped over his arm. "Okay, all set, let's go, love."

"Great." Edward helped me on with my coat and took my hand in his.

When we arrived in the foyer, Jasper was nowhere to be seen. "Should we try to find him?" I asked Edward.

"I'm not sure." He seemed indecisive. I knew he wanted to make sure his brother wouldn't get into trouble, and that familial bond was warring with his desire to comply with both of our anxiousness to get home. In the end, he decided that if we came upon Jasper outside that he'd do what he could; if he wasn't outside, Edward would send a text message to his dad's phone to keep an eye on Jasper in case his help was needed keeping Irina at bay tonight.

As it turned out we did end up finding Jasper sitting on the curb outside, smoking a cigarette. "I didn't know he smoked," I whispered.

"Only when he's stressed," Edward whispered back. "He picked it up in boot camp years ago."

"Oh."

Edward walked right up to his brother and said, "Hey, man, you okay?"

Jasper exhaled his smoke and looked at Edward. "I've been better," he answered honestly. "I don't understand why those two think they've still got some claim on us." His tone was one of disgust.

"Me, neither. I guess because we grew up together."

"Yeah, but that's no excuse."

"I'm not defending it, man, I'm just trying to explain what I see."

"I know."

"We're taking off. You want a ride home?"

"Nah. I'll just finish this and go back in, probably. I don't want to leave Dad hanging on his big night."

"Okay. Hey listen," Edward started, then seemed to remember that I was standing right beside him. "I'm sorry, love, I've just one quick thing I need to ask Jasper; I'm not being intentionally rude, I promise I will explain later, okay?" I nodded, and he leaned in and whispered something in Jasper's ear.

"Yeah, of course I will. I'll text you the result tomorrow," Jasper responded to the question I hadn't heard.

"Thanks."

"You ready, Bella?" Edward said, turning back to me.

"Yeah."

He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and we walked to the car. I'd never been so glad to leave a party early in my entire life.

**Thanks for reading!**

**Last chapter was my biggest reviewed chapter ever; can you guys top that for me? Remember, review=teaser. I love sending out the teaser, so please, please review!**

**For those of you who celebrate, have a very Merry Christmas!**

**Also, remember that contest I've been talking up? Well, I won second place! Thanks to anyone and everyone who took time to read and vote. My story isn't up on my profile yet, but it will be probably next week. If you want to read it before then, the link for the other page is on my profile, and my story was "Check Yes or No."**

**At this point in time, I don't see an issue with having next week's chapter out on time, but if for some reason I don't post on Monday, I will on Tuesday, okay? Thanks for understanding.**


	30. Piano Concerto Number 23

**A/N:** **I don't own **_**Twilight**_**.**

**Special thanks to my friends, Gerri (super beta extraordinaire) and Rory (the best pre-reader a girl could hope for), for making my story look like a super hero with their beautiful red and blue correction marks :). **

**And of course, thanks to you, for reading.**

**CHAPTER THIRTY: PIANO CONCERTO NUMBER 23**

**Bella**

A week and a half before Thanksgiving, I was scheduled for my last ultrasound. Dr. Snow just wanted to take some measurements and make sure that everything was progressing normally. He'd asked in advance if we were going to want to know the gender at this appointment—assuming that the baby cooperated, which he made clear was not a guarantee. He also let me know that though this was the last time we'd get a look at the baby before the birth, he was bumping up my appointments, and now wanted to see me every other week rather than just once a month.

As Dr. Snow ran the ultrasound transducer over my belly, I was watching the screen intently, trying to make sense of the pictures there; I wasn't having much luck. He was clicking a mouse on the computer with one hand while moving the transducer over my gooped-up belly, and finally, he looked over at Edward and said, "Do you want to tell her?"

Edward nodded at him, examined the screen carefully, then lowered his eyes to meet mine. "It's a boy," he whispered.

_A boy. A boy. _I kept turning the words over and over in my mind, trying to make sense of them. _Edward and I will have a son in four and a half months. _

I looked up at Edward's face, and the expression there was priceless. He'd said that he hadn't cared one way or another as far as gender, but he looked overjoyed at this result.

When we both got home from our respective jobs that evening—I'd gone back for the afternoon—we cooked dinner together in our kitchen. While he was stirring a pot of sauce on the front burner, I brought up the doctor's appointment. "You looked so happy when you were able to tell me that the baby's a boy."

"I was happy."

"So were you secretly hoping for a boy, then?"

"Not consciously, but I suppose now that you say it, yeah, I guess I was."

"You know, I think I was, too."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I didn't really realize that I was until you told me that it was a boy, but I'm really excited now. Now that we know, we can start discussing names and decorating the nursery. It's going to be great."

"We have one more thing to do before you start nesting," he said with a crooked smile.

"What's that?"

"Our weekend away. I promised you a weekend out, just the two of us, after we found out the sex, remember?"

"I do. You still want to go, this close to the holiday, though?"

"Why not?"

"I don't know. I was just making sure."

"This weekend will be perfect. I want at least a mini-vacation before we go back west to have Thanksgiving with your parents; those tickets are already purchased. There's nothing more that we need to plan for that, at least not until we get there." I picked up on his subtlety, his slight reminder that I'd agreed to cook the meal at my parents' house. I was actually looking forward to it, a bit.

"Okay. This weekend, then." I smiled at him.

"Pack an overnight bag and be ready to go Friday after work. Well, plan on being gone two nights, actually," he amended, looking thoughtful. "Don't worry about anything else." He kissed me chastely and turned his attention back to the sauce bubbling away on the stovetop.

x-x-x

I packed our bag for our weekend away Thursday evening after work. When I pulled the truck into the driveway Friday after work, he was already there and waiting; as soon as I climbed out of my truck, he was at my door. "Hi," he greeted me with a kiss.

"Hi," I replied.

"Why don't you go change into something comfortable and we'll get going, okay?" I flashed him a sideways glance while we walked up the front path and he added, "We've got a two hour drive ahead of us; you're going to want something softer than work clothes."

"Two hours?" I raised my eyebrows questioningly.

"Yes, two hours." He leaned down and kissed me tenderly on the lips. "Now no dawdling, go change!" Without any further discussion I turned in the direction of our bedroom and before I took my first step he swatted my behind which certainly got me moving, and caused me to squeal in the process.

He'd done a phenomenal job keeping the whereabouts of our weekend away a secret. I thought I was being sneaky, too, calling everyone I could think of trying to get at least a clue. I'd tried Esme, Kim, even Alice, hoping that maybe he'd told Jasper and Jasper had told her, all to no avail. He'd apparently told all of their men that he was taking me away for the weekend, but no one knew where, except his brother, who was the best secret keeper on the planet, according to Edward. He didn't want us to be bothered, but he also wanted _someone_ to know where we were in case of an emergency. The only thing he'd told me was that he'd won the trip during the hospital fundraiser.

I stripped out of my work clothes and slipped into my comfy, soft, elastic-waisted black sweats and one of Edward's white undershirts and white socks with sneakers. It seemed like any time I wasn't at work, I was in something elastic these days. Nothing else was comfortable, and I was only twenty-four weeks along. I dreaded thinking of how uncomfortable my clothes would be in another sixteen weeks.

Once I was changed, I pulled my hair out of the bun it had been in all day and drove my fingers into it close to my scalp, loosening the hair and relieving the tension on my head. I then looked around the room for the bag I'd packed the previous night. It was nowhere to be seen. _Of course not. Edward wouldn't have you carry your own bag out; he's probably already loaded it into the car. _So with my clothes changed and my hair down, I walked back to the foyer to find Edward still waiting there for me. I wondered idly how he'd gotten home before me long enough to change and load the car, but decided that it didn't matter. I wrapped my arms around his waist as I approached him, and he returned the hug before saying, "If you're ready, we should go. Two hour drive, remember?"

"Okay," I laughed at his obvious excitement about our trip. "I'm ready. So, where are we going, anyway?" I asked trying for (and failing miserably at) nonchalance.

"Away," he replied, matching my tone, with a smirk on his beautiful face.

I tried to look annoyed and scowled slightly, but then realized that pouting wasn't going to work. Besides, it meant a lot to Edward to surprise me, so I just let go of my desire to know, finally, and let him have his way. I'd just enjoy the car trip and relax. That was the point of the weekend away, after all, relaxation and celebration. I looked back in the backseat as I climbed into the Volvo and saw that he had, in fact, loaded the luggage before I'd arrived home. Edward got into the car next to me, started the engine, and shifted to reverse. I was suddenly excited, ready to spend a completely uninterrupted weekend, just the two of us. I tried to remember if we'd ever done that, and I couldn't think of a time when we'd been completely alone. In fact, Edward had even requested that I leave my phone at home, and I'd been skeptical at first. But then he reminded me that he'd told his brother where we'd be and given him the number to the place; we'd be reachable should an emergency arise. "But anything less than an emergency, and I don't want to know. This weekend is all about us."

When we passed out of Illinois and into Wisconsin, I got curious. "Wisconsin?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow.

He looked over at me, flashing his amazing crooked smile, and turned back to the road. "Yes, Wisconsin. Is that okay with you, Miss Swan?"

I blushed. "Of course. I'm sorry I questioned you, oh wise one."

He burst out laughing. When he'd calmed a bit, he glanced at me again. "Wise one? Where did that come from?"

"It just seemed appropriate, what with the secret and all. It's like you're trying to be…I don't know, omniscient or something." I laughed back at him; though he'd calmed, he was still chuckling a bit.

"Alright," he said, shaking his head slightly.

Twenty minutes later, we were pulling up to what looked like a mansion; just a large white house. I wondered who lived here, until I saw the sign in front of where the garage should have been. It read _Sybaris Pool Suites. _I'd never heard of a pool suite; I wondered exactly what that meant. "What is this place?" I asked quietly, marveling from the front passenger seat.

"Our weekend oasis," he replied, gazing at me through dark, hooded eyes. My lips turned up in a small smile. "Let's go check in."

I nodded and unbuckled. I knew he'd insist on opening my door, so I waited patiently, and climbed out only after he'd performed that duty. He grabbed both bags in his right hand and took my hand in his left, and led me up onto the porch and through the front door of the mansion-turned-hotel. After greeting the desk clerk and giving his name and credit card, we were led up a flight of stairs by a concierge (who had taken the bags from Edward), and down a long corridor to our room. "Enjoy your stay," he said politely once the door had been opened for us and our bags placed on the floor near the king-size bed.

"Thank you," Edward said, shaking the man's hand.

"Thank you, sir," the bellboy replied, sticking his hand in his pocket.

Once the door was shut behind him, I asked Edward, "Did you just palm him a tip?"

"Well, that is the appropriate thing to do; he carried the bags up."

"I know. I've just never seen anyone actually do that."

"Are we really going to talk about the help tonight?" he asked.

"No, of course not."

"Good. I forgot something in the car; why don't you stay here and have a look around. When I get back, we'll start our weekend. Sound good?"

"Yeah, sure. Okay."

"I'll be back as soon as I can." He leaned in and kissed my forehead before turning and walking briskly out the door.

The focal point of the room was the bed, obviously. Pool suite or not, it was still a hotel. It was a simple wood frame with a mattress on top, and the bed was dressed in white. Up against the wall across from the bed was an entertainment center, complete with a stereo system and a television with a Blu-ray player; on the shelf next to the player was a list of available discs that could be rented from the front desk. I walked over and ran my fingers along the light colored wood of the console and then turned to my left. On the far side of the room was a round fireplace, set in front of the wall, with a fire already blazing. The opposite direction from the fireplace was a door the exact same color as the wood furniture. I approached it, turned the knob, and was greeted by the largest bathroom I'd ever seen, including ours at home. What was obviously a whirlpool tub was sunk into the floor, and was at least twice as big as the one we had. I slowly walked into the bathroom, gazing at the beige tub and wondering just how much time we'd spend in there over the next two days and two nights. _Hopefully a lot. _

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a splash of color on the otherwise white counter; I turned and walked over to the sink area to investigate. It was a sky blue envelope with my name written on the outside in my favorite handwriting. Smiling, I picked it up and turned it over. I carried the blue envelope back to the main room, and sat in a cream-colored recliner that was situated next to the bed. It was sealed, so I slid one finger under the flap to loosen the glue. I pulled the paper out of the envelope and unfolded it to reveal a letter from Edward.

_Bella,_

_Let me just start by saying how much I love you. I thank my lucky stars every day that you're mine. When I think back to when we first became pen pals, all those years of corresponding back and forth, I would get so excited every time I received word from you no matter what you wrote about. Over time we got closer and shared so many more personal things and I sought your opinion and advice more and more and you always had it to give. You have no idea how much you meant to me even then._

_When I look back I can hardly remember my life before you were a part of it; you have been such an integral part for so many years I've lost count. Thank you Bella, for always being there for me. I don't know if it was fate that intervened or what, but thank you too for inviting me to your wedding where—thank God—it turned out the way that it did and you became mine instead of his. I can't even think about how it might have turned out so differently and what my life would be like now without you. Thank you for taking a chance with me Bella; I will never forget that you took a leap of faith coming to Chicago with me and all you have given up to put me and our relationship first in your life. I vow to always do the same for you._

_And now, I feel like we are taking another step forward along our journey together with the test result behind us. I promised you I was committed to you and our baby and that I would love him regardless of who his biological Dad turned out to be and I know without a doubt I would have, because he would have been yours and we would have raised him together, but I can't deny how grateful and happy I am that our baby is ours right down to his DNA (and therefore there will be no exes to worry about in our future). _

_I am so overjoyed I can hardly contain myself, to first of all have you in my life, to be having a baby with you and to have the unknown of his paternity behind us. I think you probably feel the same way. I want this weekend to mark the start of our next phase of our life together, one where we concentrate on the two of us for now and make plans for the three of us and our commitment to a life together. I sincerely hope that I'm doing your love for me justice in the way I try to show my love for you and that our life together is all that you'd envisioned it would be._

_I suspect that between the time it took you to find this note in the first place and the time you've spent reading, I'm probably nearly back from my fake trip to the car. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to start our celebratory weekend._

_I love you with all my heart._

_Edward_

As if on cue, the door opened just then and Edward strode into the room. When he saw me sitting there holding the blue paper and matching envelope in my hand, he smiled. "I see you found my letter."

"Oh Edward it's beautiful. Thank you so much. When did you have time to do this?" I whispered, awed.

"Not important." He walked over to me and cupped my face with both hands, leaned in, and kissed me chastely. "All that matters is that we're together, and here now. Ready to spend the next two days focused on each other and nothing else."

I smiled. "I like the sound of that."

"Good."

x-x-x

**Edward**

Seeing the look on her face when I reentered that room made me glad a thousand times over that I'd had the forethought to send the letter over earlier in the week. The hotel had been more than happy to accommodate such a simple request. I'd spent the extra money to overnight the envelope to make sure it would be here by the time we got here, and it had paid off. The past couple of weeks, Bella had been especially smiley and happy, ever since we'd gotten the results back—the only exception being the incident with Tanya at the Halloween fundraiser. Seeing her happy made me happy, and knowing that I was the baby's biological father helped, too. I was glad that we'd really be able to put Emmett behind us now, and move forward together.

There were a couple of things I wanted this weekend to accomplish. Closeness of every kind, of course, but I also wanted to talk to Bella, feel her out as far as the whole marriage-thing went. The way she'd been worried about 'our commitment' when we were choosing costumes made me think that perhaps she was ready, but I really wanted to be sure. I'd had the ring sitting in my desk at work for over two months now, after having called Renée to get Bella's ring size. I'd immediately called it in to Aro at the jewelry store and he'd told me that he would put a rush in on getting the engraving done. Sure enough, five days later, he was calling me with news that it was ready. I'd gone back to the boutique and examined the tiny, intricate letters on the inside of the white-gold band; it had turned out perfectly, and I had made sure to tell Aro that I was very happy with his shop and should I need any jewelry purchases in the future, I would definitely be back. He'd beamed at my praise. So, with the ring purchased, it was practically burning a hole in my desk drawer. I was anxious to see it on Bella's hand, but at the same time, still a little leery about asking her. The problem was how to bring it up in a casual, nonchalant way. I wanted to get a feel for where she was in the whole ready-to-get-married thing without making her feel like I was pressuring her into making a decision this weekend. I had no idea how I was going to manage that.

For now, though, it wasn't important. We had the rest of tonight, all day tomorrow, and most of Sunday for me to figure that out. Tonight, I was intent on simply enjoying my beautiful girl.

"What do you want to do first?" I asked her.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure. There's this," she said, gesturing toward the bed, but then immediately, without stopping continued her gesture all around the room, eventually pointing out the bathroom. "It's a really nice looking tub," she said, obviously enjoying her little trick. "Definitely big enough for a nice long soak. You know, to relax one's muscles?" Her mouth was beginning to turn up at the corners, just a bit; she was losing her resolve. I knew I could outlast her.

"You know, I haven't seen the tub yet," I said, playing along. "It's big, eh?"

"It is. Come here and I'll show you."

I walked over to where she was still seated and grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the massaging chair. The chair was still, and I wasn't sure whether or not she even realized that it was a massager. Again, though, we had all weekend. "Where is this _big tub?_" I asked suggestively.

Ignoring my tone, she laced her fingers through mine and pulled me over to the wood door, opening it and revealing a tan-ish colored whirlpool. I noticed that the tub also had a shower nozzle, although that didn't look entirely safe to me, what with the steep angle of the tub walls. I glanced up at it one more time. _Yeah, there's no way we'll be using that shower._ "See? Doesn't it look fabulous?"

"Fabulous," I agreed laughing.

"I'm not sure a soak in the tub is what I want tonight, though," she said, tapping her finger against her chin. "We could always go back to the main room and… sit in front of the fireplace. There are three chairs and a table out there, you know. We might even be able to order in some drinks or something."

I thought I could outlast her, but now I was beginning to wonder. I'd very nearly growled when she suggested sitting in separate chairs. "Bella," I said, recognizing the combination of frustration and longing in my own voice.

"Yes, Edward?" she asked sweetly.

"I did not bring you all the way to Podunk, Wisconsin," I started.

She cut me off. "I believe the exit sign said Mequon, not Podunk."

Now I really did growl. "I did not bring you _here_ to sit in separate chairs in front of a fire all weekend." I stalked toward her, feeling the carnal longing racing through my entire body. I reached her quickly and picked her up, fighting the urge to toss her over my shoulder. As much as I wanted her, I knew I had to be mindful of safety issues, for both her and the baby. While I knew that the baby was protected inside her, and that since she'd passed the twelve-week mark with no difficulties, miscarriage was unlikely, it was still a possibility. So instead of tossing her over my shoulder like I wanted to—I made a mental note to try that some other time, the next time I brought her here perhaps, after the baby was born—I lifted her carefully bridal-style, and carried her to the bed, dropping her down on her bottom. "Is this clearer, Miss Swan?"

She grabbed the front of my shirt in both of her hands, pulling me down closer to her, until my face was right next to hers. "Perfectly, Dr. Cullen." Her hands migrated up to my head, her fingers lacing through my hair, and she kissed me with what felt like an intense longing, almost like desperation. She slowly lowered herself down onto the bed, resting her head on the white pillow, continuing to pull me down on top of her. Combining both the doctor and the daddy in me, I slowly rolled to her side instead of lying directly on top of her, all the while never allowing our mouths to separate. Her hands were still in my hair, pulling ever so slightly, driving me mad. I gripped the hem of her t-shirt, and then suddenly realized that it wasn't _her_ t-shirt; it was _my _tee that she was wearing.

"Bella?" I mumbled around her kisses.

"Hm?" Her lips never left mine as she hummed an acknowledgement of my question.

"When." Kiss. "You wear." Kiss. "My." Kiss. "Clothes." Deep kiss. I pulled away panting, resting my forehead against hers. "Hottest thing _ever_."

A smile played at her lips. "You like that, eh?"

"Oh, yeah. I can think of only one place better for that shirt right now."

"Where's that?"

"On the floor." She blushed a ferocious shade of red, nearly purple. "Don't be embarrassed, love. That was a compliment."

"I know." Her blush was dissipating as quickly as it had appeared, leaving her face its normal pale cream color. I fingered the hem of the t-shirt, then allowed my hands to slide up the inside, rubbing her back gently and relishing the skin on skin contact. The spark I'd felt the first time I'd hugged her, in the airport in Seattle, was still there, ever-present in my life. The electric current, rather than being a repellent like a true electric shock would be, was instead a draw. I hoped it never left.

Bella kissed me again, hard, and squirmed against my jeans, obviously looking for friction. Frankly, I was aching too, and so obliged her request, grinding against her in return. My hands slid up her back, underneath the white shirt, and I unfastened her bra without removing the shirt. I allowed my hands to slide around her body, gripping her breasts through the now-loose silky fabric of her bra. I felt her body react to my touch, her nipples hardening as I teased them with my thumbs. She continued to grind into me, and I wondered if she was getting enough friction; I knew I wasn't. I had to know. "Are you ready for more?" I murmured.

"Yes," she whispered, her voice husky and low. As if to prove her point, she grabbed one of my hands and slowly lowered it down, away from her chest, over her belly and down into her pants. As soon as I made contact with her swollen flesh, she groaned loudly and pushed hard against my hand. "Ugh, Edward, that feels so good." I could tell by the accumulating moisture on my hand that she was telling the truth, too.

Pleased with the way this was going, I slipped first one finger, then another inside her and was rewarded once more with gasps and groans from Bella. I pumped my fingers in and out, curling them slightly on the in-strokes, rubbing her exactly where I knew she liked it the most. I continued this in-out movement, adoring her and thrilled that I was pleasing her and making her feel good until she gripped my erection through my jeans. I was lost at that moment. I grunted and lost my train of thought, ceasing my movements on her body.

Not wanting to explode in my pants like an inexperienced teenager, which I could sense happening if she didn't stop soon, I pulled my hand out of her pants quickly, to which she grunted and frowned. I grabbed her wrist and begged her to stop. "I love your hand baby, but I want to feel more of you than that tonight. It's our celebration, remember?"

Her frown disappeared and was replaced by a smirk. "Yeah, I remember. Let's do this right, then. A real celebration." She rose slowly from the bed and sauntered over to the entertainment center, examining the stereo that was situated on top. She nodded once to herself, then went over to the small table where she'd left her purse. She opened it, wiggling her bottom just a little in my direction while she dug through it, looking for something. She found what she was looking for and glanced over her shoulder at me, smiling and holding up her iPod. "I've never made love to music before; would you like to be my first?"

I swallowed thickly and nodded, unable to speak. I wondered what song she'd choose for her _first time._ She pressed a few buttons on the music player, finding the right song, I presumed, then placed it in the dock on the stereo and turned everything on. I was surprised when the music started to hear classical coming through the speakers. It had been a long time since I'd played piano, but I still recognized Mozart when I heard him. "Piano concerto number 23?" I questioned her. I'd never taken Bella for a classical music fan; she'd never mentioned it before, in person or through any of the letters we'd exchanged.

"Yeah. It took me a long time to find a song I liked enough for my_ first time_, and this one is very pleasant," she said. "Do you like it?"

"I do. I used to play this song all the time when I lived with my parents."

"Oh, really? I didn't know that. I just picked it because I liked it and thought you would too." She looked disappointed.

"What, love?"

"Well, if you played this song all the time as a kid, is it going to be weird now, to do…this to it?"

"No, Bella, of course not. This will make the song even more special." I smiled at her reassuringly, rising from the mattress and walking over to her, taking her face in my hands. I kissed her tenderly, but also wanting to convey the truth in what I'd told her, I pushed myself into her so she could feel my still obvious state of arousal.

She smiled as the music continued, and we carefully undressed each other while never ceasing the kisses. I left my shirt on her body, at least for now, and then guided her back to the bed. I hovered over her, both of us completely naked save for the white tee, and teased her softly, rubbing my tip against her wet entrance. She ground her hips into mine, and when I was sure neither of us could take any more, I pushed slowly into her, relishing her warm, tight, wet center surrounding me.

"Oh, god, Bella, you feel so good," I mumbled.

"You do, too," she murmured.

Because I knew she'd picked the song specifically for this moment, I listened to the familiar chords carefully, planning my movements for what I knew was coming in the music. I moved faster during the _allegro_ periods, and slower during the _andante_. Her moans and grunts were perfectly aligned with the quiet parts of the song, and when we got to the climax of the piece, she reached her climax as well. Feeling her walls clench around me while I was inside of her was easily my favorite feeling in the entire world. Her voice was nearly as loud as the music, shouting and gasping, and just as the piano went quiet again, nearly silent compared to how it had been just a moment ago, Bella fell back against the pillow, also quiet. I slowed my movements then, just a touch, to continue to try to line up our encounter with the music, which was slower and quieter now, too. Concentrating on nothing but the woman beneath me, I thrust again, feeling her wetness surrounding me, and exploded in a gasping, panting heap. A moment later, I rolled off of her, pulling her on top of me instead, not ready yet to give up the feeling of being inside of her. She rested her head on my shoulder while she lay on top of my chest, and our bodies slowly calmed.

As the music came to an end, she whispered, "That was perfect."

x-x-x

The whole of the weekend was spent much the same way that first night was; we made love again first thing Saturday morning, then cuddled in the bed, wearing those white, thick, terry-cloth robes that the hotel provided, just lazing around talking over things until room service arrived with our breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs, Belgian waffles with real maple syrup, whipped cream and raspberries, along with fresh squeezed orange juice and coffee – both decaf for Bella and regular for me. We watched a movie we'd had delivered with our breakfast while we enjoyed each other's company and practically inhaled our delicious food, because needless to say, we had worked up quite an appetite. It was a wonderful time together just relaxing and basking in each other's company without a care in the world.

We were lying back on the bed propped up against a bunch of cushions, Bella watching the movie and I was mostly watching Bella, trying to get my nerve up to ask her if she ever thought about marrying me someday. I wasn't sure how to ask her, whether or not to just blurt it out? I couldn't help but wonder if now was the right time to bring it up. I moved a strand of her hair that had fallen on her face behind her ear. I didn't want to ruin our time together by bringing up something that she was not ready for, but then I thought, _oh come on man-up Cullen, ask her already, this seems like as good a time as any._ "Bella, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, of course Edward," she said as she picked up the remote to pause the movie.

"Bella, do you ever think about, sometime in the future I mean, walking down the aisle and getting married?"

"You mean do I think that some day we will get married?" She gestured between the two of us.

"Yeah, of course I mean with me. Do you see that happening in our future? I mean is that something you would want, some day to try it again? I know it didn't work out so well for you last time, but, well…" I trailed off, hating having brought that up, but knowing that complete honesty would bode well for me. If for some reason she was perhaps wondering why I hadn't asked her yet, I hoped that that little half-sentence would be an explanation.

"Well, if you are _hypothetically_ asking me for my _hypothetical_ answer to that _hypothetical_ question, I guess I could give you it. I mean, as long as you know it is my _hypothetical_ answer and all," she rolled her eyes and giggled, seemingly enjoying my discomfort far too much. "Now let me see if I have this right… I think you are asking me if having been ditched the night before my wedding already once has ruined me from ever wanting to give it another go. Is that what you are really asking me?"

"Well yeah, sort of, I mean that's part of what I am asking you; and I do want to know the answer to that as well." I rubbed the back of my neck nervously.

"Okay, well, let me just say it takes a lot more than the mistake that Emmett and I made getting engaged in the first place and almost making an even bigger mistake by following through with it to ruin my beliefs in the possibilities of having a loving and lasting partnership with someone. I mean your parents and mine are all the proof I need of that. So hypothetically speaking, Edward, yes, I want to get married someday very much depending of course on the one doing the asking. Does that answer your hypothetical question Dr. Cullen?" She had a big smug smile on her face, as I rolled over beside her and hovered on top of her, pinning her down with my arms and kissing her solidly on her mouth.

"Yes, Miss Swan," I kissed her on her nose, "it certainly does. Thank you for that." I kissed her again on her mouth and on her chin and under her ear which always makes her giggle, before pulling her against me for a big hug.

The afternoon held a long soak in the Jacuzzi tub, more room service food, and yet another round. We both fell asleep completely satiated that night, neither of us caring that we'd not left the room even one time. Sunday morning, checkout was at eleven, so we took one final soak in the tub and we took our time making love one last time there before packing up for the return trip home.

"Thank you for a wonderful weekend," she said, peppering kisses along my jaw as she stood on her tiptoes after we'd arrived home, but before we'd entered the house.

"You had a good time?" I asked.

"I did. It was perfect."

I smiled, and grabbed her hand, leading her up the stone pathway to the house. We walked inside and the first sound I heard was the beeping of one of our cell phones. We walked to the kitchen, where we'd left both phones, and each looked at ours. Mine showed no missed calls, so I looked over at Bella, who already had hers up to her ear, listening to the messages, I guessed.

_What's up?_ I mouthed to her.

_Work,_ she mouthed back, listening intently to the voicemail.

When she hung up, I gazed at her expectantly. She looked…upset, or nervous, I couldn't tell. Possibly excited?

"That case I worked on last year, Dr. Gerandy, remember that from before we met?" I nodded, not completely sure whether I remembered or not, but wanting to know what was going on. "Well, we won, but now the prosecution has appealed, and we go to court again next week. Mr. Ateara wants the original team that defended him in the first place there for the appeal, so that means that Jacob and I have to go back to Seattle."

My mouth went dry. "When?"

"Tomorrow. He's already booked the flight."

"That's a little presumptuous, isn't it? What if you're not available tomorrow?"

"What are you talking about? It's my job, and tomorrow's Monday. Of course I'd be available tomorrow."

"Yeah, to work in the office. Flying cross-country at the last minute is a very different scenario than just going to work."

"Maybe, but it's my job, Edward. They say 'jump' and I'm expected to say 'how high,' not 'no thanks.' _Not_ being available for something like this isn't an option."

I felt my teeth clench. I didn't know her boss, but this just seemed fishy to me. He couldn't give her some notice on this?

Her hand came up to my face to stroke my jaw. "It's okay, Edward. I'm a big girl. I can manage myself on a plane with my boss, okay?"

"It's not you I'm worried about," I muttered.

**Thanks for reading. As always, review=teaser. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Happy New Year to all, as this will be the last update of 2010… Oh, and if you're interested in reading my prize-winning one-shot, put me on author alerts so that you know when it posts. Free writers hasn't taken it down from their profile yet, so I can't post it on mine yet. Hopefully it'll happen this week, though. Anyway, better safe than sorry if you're interested. **

**Links for this chapter are on my profile. There's a youtube link for the song, Piano Concerto Number 23, as well as a link to the Sybaris Pool Suite. Yes, it's a real place in Mequon, WI.**

**See you next week/year :).**


	31. Unnecessary Guilt

**A/N:** **I don't own **_**Twilight**_**.**

**Special thanks to my friends, Gerri (super beta extraordinaire) and Rory (the best pre-reader a girl could hope for), for making my story look like a super hero with their beautiful red and blue correction marks :). **

**And of course, thanks to you, for reading.**

**Really quickly (and this applies mostly to readers who have been with me for a long time), if you haven't read the rewrite of chapter 10 (Catalyst), which I announced had posted a few weeks ago, you should do that before you read this. There's one line in this chapter that will seem "off" to you if you're only familiar with the original chapter 10.**

**CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE: UNNECESSARY GUILT  
**

**Bella**

"What do you mean, 'it's not me you don't trust'?"

"Exactly what it sounds like," he retorted.

I was confused. I didn't understand where his blatant hostility was coming from. Granted, he hadn't met Jacob, but surely I'd mentioned him. Maybe that was the problem. I thought back to the few times I could remember having mentioned my boss. "How can you possibly be mad that my boss has called? It's not like it was a personal call—Dr. Gerandy's case is up on appeal and Mr. Ateara wants all of the original lawyers on the case back."

"Why, exactly, does this guy need so many lawyers?"

"Argh!" I groaned in frustration. "It doesn't matter! The point is that I worked on the case last year, and now my boss wants me back in Seattle for the appeal. His reasons for wanting the same team back for appellate court don't matter! All that matters is that he does." I hoped this explanation would calm Edward down. His reaction was irrational, and honestly a little maddening.

He paused for a beat, then said, "Well, I just don't understand why there wasn't more notice. And why…what's his name? Joseph something?"

"Jacob Black," I muttered through gritted teeth.

"Right, him. Why he scheduled all this without even checking with you."

"He _tried_ to check with me!" I exclaimed. "But we were gone all weekend, remember? And my phone was _here_. At your request, I might add."

He looked pained at that. "Do you regret this weekend?" he whispered.

"What? No, of course not. But it's not fair of you to request that I leave my phone here while we leave town for forty-eight hours and then get mad at my messages when we get home."

"I suppose. I still don't like the idea that he's booked the two of you a flight together, though."

"Oh, give me a break," I muttered. "Jake does not have an ulterior motive here. He's married, for crying out loud!"

"That hasn't stopped men in the past from hitting on their subordinates."

I could not believe what I was hearing. Angry tears threatened my eyes. "I can't even talk to you about this right now." I turned on my heel and stalked toward the bedroom.

"Hey!" Edward walked after me. "You can't just walk away."

"Well, you are going to have to be reasonable."

He inhaled sharply through his nose. "You really think I'm being unreasonable?"

I couldn't stop my eyes from rolling. "Yes, I think you're being unreasonable. Have you not been listening to this conversation? One, this is for work. It's not like I'm going on vacation with him. Two, _I love you_." I was careful to emphasize those words, making sure he understood. "Remember the Halloween party? You assured me that we trusted each other and our commitment would be apparent as we wear our hearts on our sleeves." I held my arm out to him as if to show him my heart. "Here's mine. Take it; it's yours." I waited there, with my arm outstretched. Finally, he stepped forward and took my hand, pulling me close to him. I buried my face in his chest, inhaling his scent. "You know I'd rather be here with you, right?"

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry I freaked out." I kissed his chest through his shirt. He leaned down and nuzzled my hair. "So, your boss is married?"

"Yes. He is _happily_ married. And you know how I know that?" Edward shook his head as he gazed at me. "I know that because whenever he speaks of his wife, his heart is very apparent on his sleeve as well." I smiled sincerely. "You should meet him sometime; that would put your mind at ease."

"Maybe," he conceded. "That's not really an option at this point, though, is it?" He sounded more resolved to the situation. He gave me a peck on the cheek and then flashed me his crooked grin, appearing a little embarrassed.

"No, I suppose not."

"I'm sorry, Bella, for my reaction. You don't deserve that, I know. I just love you so much and I'm not ready for our weekend to be over… or for anyone to take you away from me." I acknowledged his explanation with a knowing nod of my head and I buried my head in his chest once again. "So, what's the plan for your trip?"

"I actually need to call Jake. He's got a firm-issued cell phone, and I've had that number for ages. I've never had to use it before, but he said he wanted me to call him on that phone as soon as I got the message, and he'd go over the plans with me."

"Well, you'd better make that call, then." He reluctantly pulled away from me.

I nodded and stepped back, too. I wasn't ready to let go of him yet, though. I kept his hand in mine and pulled him over to the edge of the bed, still gripping my phone. I pushed him down until he was sitting on the edge of the bed and climbed into his lap before opening my phone and scrolling through the contacts list. When I got to _Work—Jacob Black_, I pressed 'talk' and lifted the cell phone to my ear.

"Hello?" came Jacob's gruff voice in greeting.

"Er, hi, Jacob?"

"Yeah?"

"This is Bella Sw—"

"Yes, Bella," he cut me off. "Thank you for calling me back. I assume you got my message, then?"

"Yes, I did."

"Okay, great. Listen, I would have asked to make sure you were available to travel this week, what with the holiday and all, but when I didn't hear back from you all day yesterday, well, I had to get those tickets booked. I hope this trip doesn't inconvenience you too much?"

"No, it's fine. I understand. I was out of town this weekend, just got home, actually. I got your message and called you straightaway. Anyway, this week is fine; I was going to be going back to Washington for the holiday anyway, to visit my parents. I'll just go earlier in the week."

"Sure, sure," Jacob said dismissively. "That's great, Bella. Now, where do you live? Here in Wheaton?"

"No. I live in Stone Park, actually. It's halfway between Wheaton and Chicago."

"Hm. Well, I was going to suggest that you meet me at the office and we ride to O'Hare together, but if you're halfway there already, that doesn't really make sense, does it?"

"No, it doesn't," I agreed.

Edward shifted then, garnering my attention. "I'll drop you off at the airport," he whispered. "Just get the flight information."

I nodded, and then spoke into the phone. "My boyfriend's right here and he says he can drop me off right at the airport. He works in Chicago."

"Oh, good, that'll work well. I'll meet you there, then." He went on to give me the pertinent information regarding the trip. I climbed off of Edward's lap and gestured to him that I needed a paper and pen; we both scoured the bedroom until we found the items, and I hurriedly scribbled the facts Jacob was rattling off to me, and less than ten minutes after I'd dialed him, the phone call was over.

We'd actually gotten home pretty late, and after the disagreement Edward and I had and the phone call to Jacob—not to mention being pregnant—I was exhausted, and told Edward so. And because he was perfect, he wasn't upset at all when I just wanted to go to bed. He even tucked me in, like a child. And rather than feeling degraded or silly at something like that, I felt cherished and loved. It was the sweetest thing he could have done at that moment, and I loved him for it.

He claimed that he wasn't tired yet, so he was going to go to our home-gym and get some exercise in before showering and coming to bed.

I fell asleep quickly, not even waking when Edward came to bed later. When I asked him in the morning, he told me that it had been less than an hour after he'd left me there to sleep. _I guess I was more tired than I thought._ I showered and dressed fairly quickly and easily in the morning, before moving to the kitchen, intending to pack my things for the trip after I cooked breakfast for myself and Edward. I was surprised by him already being there, though, dressed for work and just dishing up plates of eggs for us. Somehow, even though I'd climbed out of the bed before him, he'd managed to get ready for work and prepare the meal while I'd been in the shower. "How did you get ready so fast?" I asked him. "You were still in bed when I got out."

"True, but I showered last night after I finished in the gym, so I didn't have to worry about that this morning. Good morning, by the way," he replied, kissing me on the head.

I blushed slightly, embarrassed at my rudeness for not having greeted him properly. "Good morning. And thank you for breakfast," I said, gesturing to the food.

"You're very welcome. Eat up, though, we need to get you to the airport pretty soon. And, since you were too tired last night to pack, I hope you don't mind, but I did that for you. I hope I chose well. I included the pantsuits you bought a couple of weeks ago, the ones with the elastic waists, but that still look nice on you. And of course, all the undergarments I could find in your drawer. And pajamas, and softer clothes for the weekend at your folks' house. I hope that's okay? Oh, and you still have to pack your toiletries and vitamins though as I really wasn't sure what you would want to bring in that regard. On second thought maybe after we eat you could take a quick look through the suitcase to make sure I didn't forget anything. It's by the front door."

I didn't know what to say. I was so touched that he'd had the forethought to do that, when I'd been so distracted by exhaustion that I hadn't even considered the fact that I'd need to refresh my luggage. "Thank you," I repeated, blinking back happy tears.

"You're welcome," he said again, smiling. "You really should finish eating, though. You've got a plane to catch and I don't want to have to rush our goodbyes."

"Right," I sighed. I picked up my fork and cut into the eggs, releasing the runny yolk all over my plate. I didn't feel hungry, but it was funny; as soon as I started eating I was suddenly famished, and the eggs were exactly what I wanted. I ate every bite, then sopped up the yolks with a slice of buttered toast and ate that, too.

When we'd both finished, I rinsed off our plates in the sink and loaded them into the dishwasher. Edward carried my suitcase into the living-room for me, setting it on the couch and opened it for my inspection. "Milady, please let me know if I have pleased you with my choices," he gestured to my suitcase and bowed his head, smirking the whole time, as he stepped into my periphery.

I smirked in return and peered into my bag. I had no complaints, of course, and I told him so, as everything he packed was just perfect. "Thank you for doing this," I reached up and ran the back of my hand down his cheek, and placed a soft kiss there. Then I quickly gathered my hygiene products and vitamins and added them to the other items and closed up my case. I gathered my cell phone and charger and slipped them into my purse and then picked up my laptop and coat as Edward took my bag to the car. I climbed into the passenger side as he took the helm and we were quickly on our way to the airport.

While he drove, I asked a question that I'd wanted to ask for ages, but hadn't been able to muster up the courage to ask. "So, have you thought about names, yet? I mean, since we know it's—_he's _a boy?"

Edward looked thoughtful. "Honestly, not too much. Have you?"

"A little. Nothing specific yet, though. I'd kind of like the name to be in honor of someone in our lives, though, you know?"

"That's a fantastic idea, Bella." He quieted, keeping his eyes on the road while he drove. I watched his face, and he looked deep in thought. Finally, after about two minutes, he looked over at me, then back to the road, and spoke. "How about my grandfather? I hope that's not too presumptuous, taking your idea and turning it into a way to honor my family, that wasn't my intention at all. It's just, well…" he trailed off.

"I love that idea," I said. "I know how much he meant to you, and even though I knew I wanted to name him after somebody, I just wasn't sure who we should bestow that honor upon. Your grandfather is a wonderful choice." Then I had to ask an embarrassing follow-up question. "Er, so, this is actually really mortifying that I even have to ask, but what was his name? You just introduced him to me as 'Grandpa.'"

Edward laughed, loud and long as if my question was the funniest thing he'd heard in years. My face was flaming, I could feel it. I was hot and red. I couldn't remember ever having been so embarrassed in my entire life. Here I had just agreed to name my child after the man and not only did I not know his name, but I didn't even know if it was a name I would like.

Once Edward calmed down, he glanced over at me, caught sight of my red face and burst out laughing again. I may have been embarrassed, but I knew when enough was enough. I shot him a steely glare and he sobered at once. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You're right, it is my fault; I never told you his first name. It was Harold."

_Harold? I've just agreed to name my son Harold?_ I sat there in stunned silence, not wanting to rescind the offer to name the baby after Edward's grandfather, but I wasn't sure I could go through with that. I mean, I don't wish to offend Grandpa Harold, but honestly… who curses a child with the name Harold in this century? No one I knew, that was for sure. The look on Edward's face when I'd agreed that the baby should be named after his grandfather flashed through my mind again, though, and I knew that I had to allow him that honor. "So, Harold, then?" I asked, trying the name out on my lips and rubbing my protruding belly. The name felt awkward and…well, it just didn't roll off the tongue like I thought a baby name should.

"That's not quite right, is it?" Edward asked, having noticed the way I stuttered over the name.

"No, it's not. Oh Edward, I'm sorry."

"That's okay." His face didn't match his words. He looked incredibly disappointed at the fact that Harold just didn't fit.

"What if we try to modernize the name?" I suggested.

"How do you mean?"

"Well, I'm not sure, exactly. Why don't we both do some brainstorming this week and see if we can come up with some ideas? We can talk about it on the phone, or just wait until you come to Washington on Wednesday. I'm sure there must be a way to honor him this way, but still have a name that we both love."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

He was pulling off of the interstate now, at the airport exit. I knew we'd only have a few minutes left together until I had to get out and leave. We hadn't spent more than a workday apart from each other since he'd come to Seattle to help me wrap things up over the summer. While I'd thought that this really wasn't a big deal, the work trip with Jacob, when faced with the actual prospect of getting on a plane without Edward, my eyes filled with tears. _Be tough, be tough,_ I told myself. I swallowed thickly and blinked back the tears, willing them not to fall. _It's only three days and two nights. _Somehow, even with all my raging hormones, I managed not to cry.

Now he was pulling up to the entrance closest to the gate I needed. The name of the airline Jacob had told me he'd booked us on was visible over the door. I lowered my eyes from the words and spotted Jacob on the sidewalk. He looked like he was waiting for me. "That's him," I whispered, pointing to Jake. "My boss."

"Huh," Edward said. "Okay, don't think any less of me, because I swear to you I'm not gay, but he's an attractive man."

I turned, surprised, but recovered quickly. I leaned in close to him, my hands on his shoulders and mouth just inches from his ear and whispered seductively, "He's got nothing on you." I kissed up and down his jaw for good measure.

He sighed heavily and placed his hands on my hips. "I'm really going to miss you," he said, pulling away from me and resting his forehead against mine.

"I'm going to miss you, too."

Edward pulled away from me then, just a little ways, and slid his hands from their spot on my sides and rested them both on my stomach. "I'll miss you, too, little one," he whispered, then leaned in and placed a kiss right at the top of my bump. Just as he was beginning to sit back up, the baby kicked and Edward stopped short, lifting only his eyes to meet mine. "Did you feel that? I mean, was that…?"

"Yes. He really is real, and apparently, he likes the sound of your voice," I told him. I couldn't contain the smile. The timing for that—Edward feeling the baby for the first time—couldn't have been better.

"I really wish you didn't have to go," he murmured.

"I have to, though," I whispered back.

"I know you do."

"But I'll see you on Wednesday night, remember? It's not for so long. And we'll talk on the phone tonight and tomorrow night."

"Yeah. I know. I just don't want us to be apart… at all. And if I had my way we wouldn't be. Okay, we'd better get you out of this car quickly before I change my mind again and drive away with you as my hostage." He was smiling playfully now, so I knew he was kidding… I think.

Edward pushed the button for his hazard lights to switch on and climbed out of the car, walking around to open my door and help me out. When I was safely standing on the sidewalk, he closed my door, opened the back door and pulled my suitcase out. Just as he was setting it down next to me, Jacob came walking up and greeted us. "Bella, good, you're here." He stuck his hand out to Edward. "Hi, I'm Jacob Black."

"Edward Cullen." They shook hands firmly.

"Thanks for dropping her off. It really didn't make sense for her to drive all the way to Wheaton only to ride here with me."

Edward visibly stiffened at that suggestion. "No, it didn't. I was happy to drive her."

"Well, we really should get going. We've got to check in and all that," Jacob said, gesturing to the airport.

"Right. Well, Bella, I'll see you on Wednesday night, okay?" He said as he pulled me into a warm embrace, as he looked intently into my eyes, and he whispered, "I love you very much, Bella." And then he kissed me soft and tenderly. I wasn't sure if he did that entirely for my benefit or for Jacob's, but either way, I wasn't about to complain about it.

"Yeah. I'll be there to pick you up. I love you, too." I stretched up on my toes and kissed him again, sweetly on the mouth. "I'll miss you," I whispered.

"I'll miss you, too."

He released me, seeming reluctant, and I stepped back to stand beside Jacob. I grabbed the handle of my pull-along suitcase and waved as Edward climbed back into the car and drove away. "Here, let me get that for you," Jacob said, gently taking the luggage handle from me.

"Thank you," I said. I'd learned through all my time with Edward not to turn down a chivalrous man. It seemed that if they had the manners in the first place, they were borderline insulted when you didn't let them use said manners. He pushed the handle down on mine and picked it up, then we walked to where he'd left his on the sidewalk. He picked his up in the same hand that was carrying mine, then offered me his bent arm. I eyed him nervously, beginning to wonder if maybe Edward had been right to be worried about Jacob.

"I'm not hitting on you, Bella," he said, noticing my hesitance. "I'm just being a gentleman. I wouldn't want to lose you in the airport."

I thought over his words for a minute, examining his face, and decided that I didn't think he was lying. I placed one hand on his proffered elbow, and we walked through the airport to our gate together.

x-x-x

The flight to Seattle was uneventful, and when we landed, Jake informed me that there would be a company car with a driver and everything waiting to take us to the office for a team meeting with all the original players who had worked on Dr. Gerandy's case. I was suddenly extremely nervous. Not about work or the case, but about seeing Emmett again. I hadn't even thought about him, much less _talked_ to him in months. Now, I would have to sit in the same room as him for a three-hour (possibly longer) meeting. Then I realized that I still hadn't told him that he wasn't the father. It had been weeks, and I hadn't told him. That's how far out of my mind he had been. _Oh, this is bad. This is very, very bad. _Since we were off the plane now, just waiting for our luggage to come through on the baggage carousel, I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and typed a quick text message to Edward.

_We have arrived safely, still at airport. Need your advice… I haven't told Emmett yet that he's not the father. What do I do if he asks? ~B_

Jacob grabbed his black bag off the conveyer belt while I bounced nervously up and down, awaiting a response. Just a minute later, it came.

_Beat him to the punch. Pull him aside when you see him, before your meeting, and invite him to lunch. Tell him over the meal. ~E_

_Okay, thanks. Talk later. Love you. ~B_

_Love you too. ~E_

That was not the advice I'd been expecting. Not at all. I took in a deep breath, exhaled, then spotted my bag on the belt. I stepped up to grab it, and like in Chicago, Jake offered to take it for me. I again allowed him to. I followed him out of the airport, and just like he'd said, there was a large black sedan with the gold logo of ACU on the side. We climbed in and were driven to the office.

The driver dropped us off right at the main doors of the office, and assured us that he would take care of our luggage for us, taking it to the hotel where we'd be staying. "In separate rooms, of course," Jacob assured me. I nodded, eyeing the large office building. I felt a similar nervousness to the time I'd reported for my first day of work, and again when I returned from Chicago the last time, although for very different reasons both of those times. We rode the elevator up to the partners' floor, and when we exited the elevator, we were greeted by a very jovial-looking Quil Ateara.

"Good to see you," he said, taking Jacob's right hand in his own and clapping him on the back. Then he looked over at me, took in my appearance—he hadn't even known I was pregnant when I'd left, and I wasn't sure whether or not Jake had told him—and said politely, "Welcome back, Miss Swan."

"Thank you, sir," I said, mimicking his politeness.

He released my hand and said, "Well, shall we get the meeting started?"

"Yes, sir," Jacob replied obediently.

I spotted Emmett just then, lurking around the outside of the conference room door. "Excuse me," I muttered to Jacob and Mr. Ateara, and hurried over to Emmett, ready to take Edward's advice. I was shaking like a leaf at the prospect of having to have this conversation, but I knew it was essential nonetheless. Emmett looked distracted, and didn't seem to snap out of his stupor even as I approached him, so I touched him carefully on the arm. "Hey, Em," I said.

He startled, and looked down at me. "Bella, hi," he said, and I couldn't read the expression on his face.

"Listen, there's something we need to talk about, obviously," I started, absentmindedly reaching down to rub my stomach.

His eyes followed the movement of my hand, and I could see his Adam's apple bob in his throat as he gulped. "Yeah, I guess there is. Wow, you're a lot…bigger than I expected."

"Yeah, over halfway done," I told him. "But I don't really want to do this here. Will you come to lunch with me today? After the meeting?"

"I don't know, Bella, I'm not sure that's a good idea…"

"Oh, come on, my treat?"

"Yeah, alright." He looked resigned now.

"Thank you," I said, now feeling…okay about what I had to do.

The meeting passed quickly. The higher-up lawyers went over the case with us, a refresher course since it had been so long since we'd worked on it. Then they discussed the appeal that we were going to be defending against, and each one explained to us why he thought there was nothing to worry about with this appeal. I wanted to ask why they'd thought it necessary for me to come here all the way from Chicago if they didn't think it was a big deal, but I held my tongue. By the time they dismissed us for lunch, I was definitely hungry. I turned in my chair and looked at Emmett. "So, where do you want to go?"

"You know, I'm really not all that hungry. You pick someplace and I'll come for the talk, but you don't have to buy me lunch."

I eyed him speculatively. He really did look nervous about the talk he knew was coming, so I believed him when he said he wasn't hungry. Instead of pushing the envelope with him, I just said, "Okay, but you'll need to drive; I don't have a car here."

"Yeah, okay."

I decided that pizza sounded good, so we went to a locally owned pizzeria, and after I'd ordered, I joined Emmett at the table he'd selected. "So," I said.

"So," he repeated.

"Look, there's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to be blunt with you." I paused. Emmett looked at me with a mixture of sadness and expectation. "Edward's the father." It was really hard for me to not feel bad for Emmett in that moment. His face fell, and he looked like he was actually blinking back tears.

"I figured as much. I assumed I'd have heard from you otherwise."

"Yeah. I'm sorry I didn't call as soon as I found out."

"It's okay. It's my fault, really. I broke your heart. You deserve this, Bella. You deserve your happily ever after." He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. "I should feel relieved, but for some reason I don't. I've always wanted a son or a daughter, I guess, and now it feels like I'm losing hi… well never mind that… I really am happy for you, Bells."

I couldn't really argue with him there; he _had _broken my heart, and even though I was much happier now, that didn't change what had happened. So instead, I just said, "Thank you."

My name was called over the loudspeaker then, indicating that my order was ready, so I stood up and went to the counter to retrieve it. The rest of the lunch was spent in awkward silence. I ate my pizza while Emmett seemed to just avoid looking at me. When I couldn't take it any more, I just grabbed a to-go box for my leftovers and told him that I was ready to go.

We were riding in his Jeep, driving back toward the office when he spoke again. "So, how sure are you?" he asked.

I felt my heart drop. _So that's why he's been so quiet this whole time. _"It's over ninety-nine percent," I told him. "So there's no doubt." And I felt that overwhelming inclination to feel bad for him again. I couldn't explain it, but it was honestly rather frustrating. I _shouldn't_ feel sorry for him. I should still be pretty angry, frankly, at the way he treated me. _At least he had the guts to say something before the wedding, though. _I realized in that moment something that I hadn't before. I actually did forgive him. I wasn't mad anymore. At the risk of sounding selfish, things were going so well in my own life that I had no reason to be mad anymore. I reached over the center console and placed my hand on top of his. When he looked at me, I said sincerely, "I'm not mad at you anymore. Really. We probably shouldn't have gotten engaged at all, if we're being honest with ourselves."

"I've often wondered that myself," he said, turning his eyes back to the road. "I thought it was the right step at the time, though."

"So did I," I agreed.

We pulled up to the office then, and I was glad for that.

"Bella?" he said, parking the Jeep and then turning to look at me.

"Yes?"

"I'm glad you're not mad at me anymore. I mean, I get that we probably won't ever be, like, best friends or whatever, but I'm glad that you're not mad."

"Me, too. Being mad didn't really help anything. I mean, yeah, it made me feel better for awhile, but it's better to move on than to hold a grudge."

"Well, thank you."

"You're welcome," I said with a small smile. I may have forgiven him, but I felt like I was ready to not spend any more alone time with him right now. I really just wanted to get the workday over with so that I could get to the hotel and call Edward.

"We should get back in there," he said, gesturing the office building.

I nodded and opened the door, climbing out of the truck.

The rest of the meeting passed much the same way as the first half did, which was good. Before I knew it, Mr. Ateara was dismissing us for the day. I caught up to Jacob after the meeting, since I knew I'd have to ride with him to the hotel. "You ready?" he asked when I stepped up next to him.

"Yeah, whenever you are."

He led me down to the front door where the same black car as before was waiting for us. The driver took us to one of the nicer hotels in the city, and handed each of us a card key when we got out of the sedan. "You're all checked in," he told us. "Room numbers are on the key envelopes. And I've already dropped your bags off in your rooms."

"Thank you," Jacob told him.

We entered the hotel and found our rooms. Before escaping into my room, I double checked the following day's schedule with Jacob. "Be ready to go by about 7:45 in the morning, that way we won't be late."

"Excellent. Thank you," I told him. "See you in the morning."

I unlocked my door and shut and locked it behind me. I moved over to the bed and called Edward.

"Hey, you," he greeted.

"Hi," I said, so glad to hear his voice. I again found my hand absentmindedly rubbing my stomach.

"How was your day?"

"It was fine. I took your advice and talked to Emmett before he had the chance to ask."

"Oh? And?"

"He seemed…sad."

"I probably would have felt the same way had things gone the other way, even if I were in his position—former boyfriend, I mean."

"Yeah, I know. I just wasn't expecting the feelings of…I don't know how to sum it up, but I just felt really bad for him today."

"That's because you're the sweetest, most caring person in the world," he said. Even without him there, I blushed.

"Thank you," I said quietly.

"Are you alright Bella, because to be honest, as much as I have longed to hear your voice all day, I have no time to chat right now. I'm running late. You see, Jasper called me at work today, he wants to have dinner tonight, but if you need to talk some more, then I'll just call him and tell him I'll be along in a while."

"No, no don't do that… I'm fine, really."

"Are you sure, Bella? Because I really don't have…"

I cut him off. "Edward, yes I'm sure. Go out with your brother, have fun and say, 'hi' to him for me." I couldn't help but smile at the way he always put me first… the way he always worries about me.

"Okay, baby. I've really got to go now, then. I miss you."

"I miss you, too."

"Text me before you fall asleep tonight, I want to say goodnight to you later."

"Okay, I will."

"I'll call you in the morning too, okay? What time are you going back to the office?"

"Quarter to eight."

"Okay, I'll call you at seven thirty your time, then. I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Bye."

I could have had dinner with Jacob, because he asked me if I wanted to join him and some other work colleagues, but I was really feeling pretty spent and told him I would rather just stay in and order some room service, so I could be fresh for the morning meeting. He understood my decision; they all did. I could have called Alice and I'm sure she would've loved to have come over or taken me out, but I decided against that too for the same reasons. I decided I would just call her on Tuesday instead.

So, after I polished off my glass of milk, chicken fettuccini, sourdough bread and chocolate cake for dessert, I spent the rest of the night watching network TV. It wasn't the best, but there was really nothing else I was up to doing. I could have called my parents of course, but for some reason, after the day I'd had, I just wasn't really in the mood. I would be seeing them in a couple of days, anyway. So I changed into my pajamas—noting again that Edward had done a fantastic job of packing my bag, he'd included everything I'd need for the trip—and cuddled up on the queen size bed. I grabbed my cell phone and fired off a quick text to him, telling him once again that I missed him, that I was fine, all tucked in and wearing the p.j.'s he'd packed for me.

_I bet you look beautiful. I miss you more than you know. Goodnight, love._

_Goodnight, Edward,_ I typed, and as soon as I clicked 'send,' I placed my phone on the pillow beside me. I closed my eyes then and before I drifted off to sleep, I felt the baby move, and as he did, I smiled, picturing a little red-haired boy who looked exactly like Edward.

**Thank you for reading. I truly appreciate every one of you who take time out of your lives to read my story. If you offer me a review, I'll gift you back a teaser :).**

**If you're looking for something new to read, check out my new story, Sexual Healing. It's a collab with my friend Caz, and we have a joint profile where the story is posted (there's a link to the story on both FF and Twilighted on my profile). It's quite different from this story, but it's still good. Give it a chance, please :). It's got an OOC Edward whose father has set him up with appointments with the beautiful psychologist Dr. Isabella Swan to deal with his "sex addiction." What happens when the one woman he wants the most is the only one he can't have? **

**http: / www**** . fanfiction . net / s / 6576272 / 1 / Sexual_Healing**

**Just take out the spaces, of course. **

**Until next week…**


	32. Letting Go

**A/N:** **I don't own **_**Twilight**_**.**

**Special thanks to my friends, Gerri (super beta extraordinaire) and Rory (the best pre-reader a girl could hope for), for making my story look like a super hero with their beautiful red and blue correction marks :). **

**And of course, thanks to you, for reading.**

**CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO: LETTING GO**

**Edward**

I hated having to end my phone call with Bella so quickly, but I also didn't want to miss the chance to spend time with my brother. It had been too long since it had just been the two of us, and I had a feeling that our guys-night-out-type activities would come to a screeching halt in a few months, so while I was willing to push it back an hour or so for Bella, I was glad when she insisted that that wasn't necessary. I told her I loved her and missed her, and hung up the phone before rushing out to my car to meet Jasper at his newly acquired apartment.

Sub-leasing my apartment to him had seemed like a good idea at the time. I was still stuck with the lease for another six months, regardless of whether I lived there or not. It only made sense finding someone I trusted to not mess up the place to live there and pay the rent so I didn't have to. And finding someone I trusted brought me full-circle to the James issue. I didn't want to put someone I liked in the apartment, knowing what he had done. Because I wasn't sure exactly what had made him stop where he did with Bella, and I loathed the thought that he _wouldn't_ stop next time. I kicked myself every day for not turning him in, getting his sorry excuse for a human being fired, but at the time, I was worried that the building's owner wouldn't have seen what he did as such a bad thing. He'd technically been doing his job, helping her up to her apartment. Of course, the fact that she'd declined his offer for help-several times-and ran from him should've given him a clue, but that was neither here nor there at this point. It had been months now, and I'd made my decision back then not to report him. There was nothing I could do about it now.

It was that weariness over James that kept me paying the rent rather than finding a sub-lessee for months. When Jasper asked what was going on with the apartment a couple of weeks ago, he'd been shocked that I was still paying the rent while not living there. I believe his actual question had been, "Keeping the bachelor pad for a reason?"

I'd quickly shut him down, reminding him that I was happier now than I had ever been in my life, and while Bella and I weren't married yet, I considered myself more a 'family guy' than a 'bachelor' at this point. After he'd been duly reminded of that fact, he just laughed at me for getting so defensive, "Geez, I was just teasing you bro," and then he asked if I'd considered subletting the place.

"Yeah, I've considered it, but after what happened with Bella and James, I'm leery about putting anyone else in there. I mean, once my name's off the lease and someone moves in there on their own accord, not because of me, then I can't really control that. But for now, I'm just not sure."

"What about me? I'm gonna be around for awhile, and as much as I love Mom and Dad, I've stayed at their place long enough. I know they'd never kick me out, but it's time I moved on. This is win-win; I get a place, and you get out of the financial obligation."

I'd considered telling him no, that I didn't feel comfortable having someone I knew in the apartment building. But then I thought better of it. Jasper was able to take care of himself. The real deciding factor had been that he would be living alone. That had prompted the one condition I'd had for him taking the apartment. "When Alice comes for Christmas, I want her staying with Bella and me. Not in that apartment."

"Overreact much?"

"I don't think so. Besides, better safe than sorry," I replied, even though I knew he hated axioms. They were axioms for a reason, though. Sometimes they just fit the situation.

He rolled his eyes, obviously in response to my use of the cliché. "Why don't we leave that decision up to her?"

I shrugged and said, "Fine." I knew I'd get my way on that one; Bella would convince Alice that she should stay with us. And so, my brother had rented my apartment. I wasn't sure how warmly I'd be received there by James after the last time I'd seen him, and the way Bella and I had moved so abruptly, so rather than bother with an explanation, or worse, another confrontation, I just called Jasper from my car when I arrived out front of the building.

He came out the doors just a couple of minutes later and climbed into my car. Before I could really even greet him, he was already talking. "So, Mom wants to know when she can come decorate the baby's room."

I couldn't help but laugh slightly. "I thought you moved out."

He laughed along with me. "Yeah, but you know Mom. She can't just let us grow up, even though we're completely autonomous adults. She calls frequently."

"She doesn't call me that often," I countered.

"That's because you've been around for the past several years. I haven't been. That's what I keep telling myself, anyway. I refuse to believe that it's because she thinks you're more mature than me, and I need checking up on."

"But I _am_ more mature than you," I told him, smirking. He punched me in the shoulder. I winced and rubbed my shoulder, partly mocking him for the hit, but it did actually hurt a bit, too. I had this to say for my brother, he was _strong_. Even his playful hits were powerful. "Thank you for that." My voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Aw, I was just kidding around with you," he said.

"I know," I assured him. "But your 'playing around' punch packs more power than most people's pissed off one."

"Sorry," he said, but he was laughing.

"Whatever, man."

"So, anyway, if Mom asks again, I need to be able to give her an answer. Are you guys going to want her help? I mean, I don't really get the whole nesting thing, but it's as if Mom is the one having this baby, not Bella. Is Bella even thinking about this stuff yet?"

"Honestly? I don't think so. Although she did ask me about names this morning when I was driving her to the airport. Just tell Mom that we'll call her when we're ready to discuss it."

"Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean _when you were driving her to the airport_?"

I sighed, not really interested in reliving the angst of the past twenty-four hours. I also didn't want to start a precedent by lying or keeping things from my family, though. "So, we went on the Sybaris trip, right?"

"Yeah. The one I made sure to bid on for you at the fundraiser last month."

"Right. We went this weekend, left on Friday night and got back late last night. So, she checked her messages as soon as we got in the house, and she had one from her boss. There's some case she worked on before she moved here that's apparently not done yet. The head honcho in Seattle decided he wanted the original team back. So this other guy, Jake, booked the two of them on a flight for this morning."

"Lame."

"Yeah, tell me about it." I sighed, somewhat wistfully.

"So, what if she hadn't been available?"

"I don't know. It's a moot point, really, because we had a bit of a row about it last night. She was upset that I'd even consider the fact that she wouldn't be able to drop everything for her job. She's really committed to her work, obviously."

"Hm."

We pulled up to the restaurant then, and climbed out of the car. Once we were seated and had ordered, we continued talking.

"So, what's new with you?"

"Besides the new stateside job?"

"Right, you're going to be here for awhile, huh? How long will you be stationed here for?"

"Three years. It'll be really great to be around home and in one place for so long."

"I agree. It'll be great to have you here for that long."

"Thanks."

As an officer in the Army, Jasper's 'jobs' were assigned in two-, three-, or six-year intervals. Some of them were local and some of them, like his last two, were overseas. When one 'job' expired, he was usually given the choice of the next one. Occasionally, his boss, General Peter Doman, would assign him one, but he'd gotten to choose for himself this time.

We continued talking about all sorts of things, just generally catching up, until after the meals had been delivered and consumed, talk turned to girls.

"So, when are you going to finally propose to Bella?" he asked.

"Soon. I put the feelers out while we were away, and she seems to be ready. At least open to the possibility. At this point, though, I kind of want to wait a little while. She'll be expecting it now that I've broached the subject with her and I want to surprise her."

"Dude, you're full of excuses. Two months ago, you wanted to wait because you weren't sure she'd say yes. Now that you're confident she won't turn you down, you want to wait so that she's not expecting it? You've gotta realize that she's _going _to expect it. You guys are already basically living the life. You may as well make it official." He had several good points in there. I thought I did, too, though. Whereas he was right, she probably would be expecting the question at some point, it would be more special to her if she was surprised.

"Don't you worry about me," I told him. "It'll happen when it happens. Nothing's going to get in the way now, and despite what you may think, I'm not procrastinating. I _want _this to happen. I may not have the exact moment planned, but I guarantee you that we'll be married before March."

"Alright, fine," he said, raising his hands in defeat. "It's your life, you're free to run it however you want."

"So what about you? How are things with Alice?" I wanted to shift the attention away from me.

"They're good. We've taken a bit of hint from you and Bella."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's a long-distance relationship. There's only so much closeness you can get from modern technologies and believe me we spend as much time as we can communicating in a variety of ways. We Skype, text, write, call, email, and IM."

"You guys write letters?" I couldn't help the slight smirk from crossing my face. It had been like pulling teeth to get my brother to write a letter home when he was on active duty, and now here he was, writing to a girl.

"Well, not that often. The phone calls and instant messaging definitely happen more often." He smiled, looking a bit shy, and dropped his gaze.

I didn't want to embarrass him further, so I moved on quickly. "And you've invited her out here for Christmas, right?"

"Yeah. It's going to be great."

"It'll be good for Bella, too, to have her friend here."

Jasper snorted. "You say that like you expect me to let Alice out of my bed while she's here."

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong," I countered. "You've already agreed that she'll be staying with Bella and me, not in that apartment. You know how strongly Bella and I feel about that."

"Yeah, I know. It still seems like overkill to me, though."

"Doesn't matter. The only one who even has the possibility of overturning this decision is Alice herself. And Bella can be awfully persuasive when she wants to be."

"Fine, fine," he conceded, "but you better be extending that invitation out to include me too then."

I laughed at his insistence. "Sure. I mean I'll have to speak to Bella, but I don't see why not. The more the merrier."

The waiter dropped the bill off then, so we stood to go. We each paid our own portions, and returned to the car. I was expecting a call or text from Bella soon, so I declined Jasper's invitation for drinks. Instead, I just dropped him back at the apartment and made the thirty-minute drive home.

x-x-x

**Bella**

I was awoken at seven a.m. by my ringing phone. I smiled and rolled over, grabbing it off of the night table in the motel room and jabbing the 'answer' button. "Hello?" I answered dreamily, expecting Edward on the line.

"Bella?" The voice was harsh and female. Definitely not Edward. After half a beat, I recognized it.

"Rosalie?"

"Yeah. Listen, Emmett told me yesterday about your little lunch date with him. I can't say I'm as easy to convince as he was."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, genuinely confused.

"You know very well what I'm talking about," she sneered.

"I really don't," I said, flinching slightly.

"Do you have proof of what you told him yesterday?"

I rubbed my eyes and sat up. "You mean that he's not the father of my baby?"

"Yes, of course that's what I mean."

"I do. But not with me. I don't really make a habit of carrying around paternity results in my pocket."

"Well, that's something I'd like to see."

"And what business is it of yours?"

"It's very much my business. I'm with Emmett, and I want to be reassured that this little…_mistake _of yours isn't going to come back to ruin my life later."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. She was so petulant and cold. I had a difficult time reconciling this harsh, _mean_ woman on the phone as the Rosalie I'd grown up with. She'd always been like an older sister to me, teaching Alice and me how to walk in heels and put on makeup. And now she was treating me like she didn't even know me. A part of me wanted to scream at her, while a part of me was holding back the tears. All I could think was, _what have I ever done to her?_ But then I realized I hadn't done anything to deserve her wrath, so, instead of crying, I took a deep breath and regained my resolve. "It is none of your business. If Emmett wants to see the official results, then _he _can ask. Because he is the one directly affected by this, so _he_ is the only one I will talk to about this. I will not deal with you on this matter again, so please do not call me again." I hung up the phone before she had the opportunity to answer.

Shaking with emotion, I rose from the bed and stumbled over to the hotel bathroom. I felt like I could stand in the hot water all day, but I knew that wasn't really an option, so instead I just washed my hair and skin and got out right away. I'd pulled my maternity slacks and blouse on, but not my socks and shoes yet, when the phone was ringing again. I eyed it nervously, and almost didn't answer it because I was afraid that it would be Rosalie again. Then I realized that that was ridiculous; I couldn't ignore my phone because of one unpleasant call. I vowed to myself that I'd be more careful about checking the caller ID from now on, though. Doing just that, I was glad I had talked some sense into myself when I saw who the call was from. "Hi," I greeted Edward. My voice was shaky, even I could hear it.

"What's wrong?" He addressed my tone rather than my words.

"Nothing," I lied.

"Bella?"

I sighed. "Rose called me."

"Oh." I wasn't sure what he'd been expecting me to say, but it obviously wasn't that. "And what did Rose possibly have to say to you today?"

"She wants to see Dr. Snow's letter with the results on it."

"What? It's none of her business. I mean, I get why you had to tell Emmett, but Rose was horrible to you. She was supposed to be your friend and she ended up being…well, definitely _not_ that."

"I know." My voice sounded a little bitter. "I told her that, too. I mean, that it was none of her business. But she said that since she's with Emmett now, it affects her, too, so she wants more than just my word."

"She actually said that to you? You're not the one who proved to be untrustworthy, though."

"I didn't say it made sense," I said, sighing. I cradled my cell phone between my shoulder and ear so that I could pull on my socks.

"So, did you agree to show her?"

"No. I told her that if Em asked, then I'd show him since he was directly affected. And that I didn't want her to call me again."

"Do you think he's going to ask?" I thought about that for a moment. I honestly wasn't sure. He'd seemed to believe me yesterday, but since I'd moved away pretty suddenly, I hadn't actually seen Emmett since the day we broke up. Until this trip, that is. So, I had no idea how far he'd go to keep her happy. When I expressed all of these thoughts to Edward, he sighed softly. "Well, I guess I'll take it with me to work today, then. That way I can fax it to you if you need it." The paper had joined the letter binder, and was now safely ensconced in a page protector along with every letter I'd ever written to Edward. When he'd shown me that right after I'd moved to Chicago, I'd been shocked. I mean, yeah, he'd told me when I'd showed him Mrs. Cope's classroom that he still had them all, but I thought it would be more like a shoebox, similar to the way I'd kept his letters through the years. When I saw his little shrine to me, I felt a bit awkward—flattered by his safe keeping of my letters and maybe a little embarrassed about how I had kept his. I'd gotten over it, though. And when I'd asked him what we should do with the paternity result paper from Dr. Snow, he'd suggested adding it to the binder since it was an important part of our relationship.

"I'm not sure that's necessary," I said, realizing belatedly that I'd paused for a long time after his suggestion that he'd take the letter with him to work.

"It's fine, Bella. Don't worry, I'll keep it safe. And if he asks, I want you to be prepared."

"Okay," I agreed reluctantly. It wasn't until he mentioned _keeping it safe_ that I realized how much that standard-sized sheet of paper meant to me. It wasn't something I'd ever tell little Harry, the fact that for several months I wasn't sure who his father was, but it still meant a lot to me. My thoughts stopped short when I recognized what I'd just thought. I was nearly out of time to talk to Edward before I had to be ready to meet Jacob to head for the office, but I wanted to get this out. "So, your grandfather's name was Harold?" I asked, knowing that I was right; my memory wasn't that bad.

"Yes," he confirmed.

"Did people call him Harry?"

"His friends did, yeah. Why, what are you thinking?"

"Well, Harry can be a nickname for something other than Harold. What do you think of Harrison? Similar enough to Harold to still count as naming him after your grandfather?"

There was a pause on the end of the line. I waited with bated breath as Edward thought over my suggestion. I could practically hear the gears turning in his head. Though it was probably only ten seconds of real time, it felt like an eternity to me. Finally, he said, "I think it's perfect." His voice was low and almost…reverent.

I couldn't keep the grin off of my face. "I think so, too."

"Let's keep it quiet, at least for awhile, though. The name, I mean."

"Okay," I said, still smiling to myself. It felt good to have the name decided. Now I just needed to get in touch with Esme and start decorating the room. We'd had our traditional Sunday dinner with her several times since finding out the gender, so we'd disclosed that information. They'd asked if we'd chosen a name yet the last time we were there, and we had been honest with them, saying that we hadn't. It would be hard to keep the secret now that it was decided, but I liked the idea of not telling anyone just yet. I looked over at the clock on the table. 7:44. "Shoot! I've gotta go," I said apologetically. "I'm supposed to meet Jake in one minute." I slipped quickly into my shoes and bustled over to the door. I tumbled through it, nearly falling, but catching myself just in time, and pulled the door shut behind me.

Hearing the commotion, Edward laughed gently. "I'll let you go. I've got an appointment coming up, anyway. Talk to you tonight?"

"Yeah," I said, somewhat breathlessly.

"I love you. And Harrison." I loved hearing the name fall from his lips. It really was the perfect modernization of his grandfather's name.

"We love you, too." My voice came to a squeal at the end just as the baby kicked, as if he could hear his daddy on the phone.

"What was that?"

"My 'we' was truthful. It's like he knows I'm talking to you. All day long at work, I don't really feel him at all, but as soon as you're on the line, he goes crazy."

"I wish I was there. Or that you were here."

"We'll be together again tomorrow."

"I know. I just miss you so much."

"I miss you, too."

I knew that after the extended bit of conversation, I was now officially running late, so as much as I hated to, I had to end the phone call. "I should go." My voice was quiet, sad.

"Yeah, me, too." His tone matched mine.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

I knew if I didn't hang up then, it would only be harder in two minutes, so I took the initiative and did just that. I felt oddly empty with the ending of that call, though. As if to remind me that I wasn't alone, though, the baby—_Harrison, _I reminded myself—moved within me. I smiled and stroked my stomach.

x-x-x

By Wednesday night after work, I was ready to see Edward. It had been a bit of a trying week, but we had finished everything but the actual court appearances for Dr. Gerandy's appeal. At quitting time the night before Thanksgiving, I was pleased to get the news that I wouldn't be expected here next week; the Seattle team would take it from here. It made me wonder why I'd been expected here for these three days, if it had really been necessary, but I wasn't one to rock the boat. I went where I was expected to go, did my job, and that was that.

The week hadn't been all bad, though. I'd called Alice on Tuesday, letting her know I was in town for work and that I'd be spending the holiday with my parents. When I asked her if she wanted to meet for dinner, she'd squealed loudly. "Of course I want to have dinner with you, Bella!" I wished sometimes that Alice's energy was contagious. She always had so much of it, and I had so little, especially these days. Despite all that, though, I was glad I'd made time to see her. It really got me looking forward to Christmas at home, with all the people I loved, even more.

I really wasn't looking forward to the drive to Forks tonight, but it made the most sense. Edward was coming in pretty late after working a half day and then we had the four hour drive to my parents' house. If I was going to be cooking Thanksgiving dinner, I had to be there before noon. It would be a smoother drive than the last time we made the trek, though, since we'd have a rental car instead of my old truck. No matter how much I loved my truck, I couldn't deny the comfort of a nice Audi or something.

Since I didn't have a car here, Edward had assured me that he didn't mind renting a car and meeting me at my hotel. As I had worked three full days the office was paying for the room through Thursday, even though I'd told them that I wouldn't be using it Wednesday night. It was nice not to have to worry about wondering where to go between the time I got off of work and the time Edward arrived. So, as soon as the company driver dropped Jake and me off at our hotel and we had said our goodbyes, I entered my room and fell down on the bed immediately allowing my eyes to close.

The next thing I knew, my phone was ringing. I groggily pried my eyes open and managed to read Edward's name on the caller ID (remembering my promise to myself from the previous morning) before answering. "Hello?" My voice was still thick with sleep.

"Hey, love. I'm here, right downstairs. For security reasons, they won't give me a key, obviously, so I'll need you to come meet me. Then I'll help you with your bags and we can get going."

"Okay. I'll be right down." I walked over to the tiny bathroom and splashed some cold water on my face, then made sure I had my key card in hand and went down to retrieve Edward. Despite my sleepiness, my heart surged when I saw him, and I couldn't help but rush toward him, wrapping my arms around his neck and peppering his face with kisses.

He grinned at my eager reaction to him. "Hello to you, too."

"I missed you so much."

"I missed you, too. I'm so glad to be here with you again."

"Me, too. Come on." I grabbed his hand and pulled him to the elevator. As soon as we were safely inside the small room, it was like no holds barred. My hands were all over him and his were all over me, and our mouths never left each other's. It was fabulous. When the elevator pinged, we tumbled out, still giggling and kissing like seventeen-year-olds about to do something naughty on Prom night.

Once we were inside my hotel room with the door locked behind us, Edward looked at me and asked huskily, "What time are your parents expecting us tonight?"

"They're not. They know we'll be getting in late, so my mom's promised to leave the door unlocked."

"That is the best news I've heard all day."

**Thanks for reading! I'll reward any reviews with a teaser :). **

**I just want to put the bug in your guys' ear now, even though I don't have all the details yet. I'm participating in a couple of fundraisers. The first one is FADV (Fandom Against Domestic Violence), and I'll be donating an outtake of PP. There are lots of other really talented authors donating as well, so if you're able to make a donation (the minimum is $10), you'll be rewarded with some amazing stories to read. Donations are being accepted all through the month of February, and though I don't have any more specifics right now, I will get them (I've got an outstanding email with the coordinator of the fundraiser). I'll let you know prior to Feb. 1st where you need to go to make a donation.**

**In March, you'll find another of my stories in a similar fundraiser. I'm co-writing a piece with the lovely SaritaDreaming to donate to the Foxy Fics fundraiser for the Michael J. Fox Parkinson's Foundation. That one's really a lot of fun. I hope, if you're able, that you can donate to one or both of these great causes when the time comes. Again, I'll provide more info as I get it. Thanks!**

**Until next week...  
**


	33. Thanksgiving in Forks

**A/N:** **I don't own **_**Twilight**_**.**

**Special thanks to my friends, Gerri (super beta extraordinaire) and Rory (the best pre-reader a girl could hope for), for making my story look like a super hero with their beautiful red and blue correction marks :). **

**And of course, thanks to you, for reading.**

**CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE: THANKSGIVING IN FORKS**

**Bella**

Lying in Edward's arms in the hotel bed an hour later, I felt the bliss of my post-coital glow washing over me. I didn't want to be anywhere else. As long as I lived, I never wanted to be with anyone else, or away from Edward. Ever again. If nothing else, this trip had helped me to realize that. What was the phrase? _Absence makes the heart grow fonder? _That had certainly been the case for me this week.

I also knew Edward was worried about the way I might react to a marriage proposal, and that was why he was holding off, but I was ready. I knew that the moment he popped the question, I'd be ready, and I'd give him his 'yes' immediately. I wanted to be married to him, and to raise this child, _our son_, together. I knew that marriage wasn't necessarily a prerequisite for that, but seeing the way my parents and Edward's parents still had that newlywed demeanor, I wanted it, too. I wanted to provide for Harrison the example that I'd had growing up: parents who loved each other and would do anything for one another; parents who were committed to each other in every way humanly possible, legally or otherwise. Lying there, with those thoughts running through my mind, I wanted nothing more than to ask him his plans for that. I held my tongue, though. I knew he had plans for the perfect proposal, and I didn't want to ruin it for him. I just hoped he didn't wait too much longer.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by Edward kissing my temple. "We should clean up and go, baby," he said gently.

"Yeah, okay," I agreed, reluctantly extracting myself from his limbs. We held hands on the way to the bathroom and showered together for the second time in the past ninety minutes. _Of course, not much washing happened the first time around._ Wet Edward was a sight to behold. I was about to say something to him about how much I enjoyed seeing him that way, but he beat me to it.

"You look so beautiful," he said, eyeing me up and down and then wrapping his arms around my waist and rubbing my lower back before pulling one hand away and placing it on my belly. "A little part of each of us, growing inside of you. It's amazing. Like a miracle."

I remembered having similar thoughts in the past, and told him so. "I feel that way, too. Well, about the miracle. I think you're a little biased on the whole beautiful thing."

He just chuckled. We washed each other, then got out, dried, and redressed. It would have been easier if I'd been able to live out of my suitcase for the trip, but that just wasn't reasonable with the delicate materials of my work clothes, so I'd had to hang them up. Even so, we made pretty quick work of the whole repacking task and were soon in Edward's rental car, the three of us, on the way to Forks.

x-x-x

The drive to my hometown was quiet, since we were going late at night. Even the ferry was mostly empty as it was nearly midnight by the time we got there. Of course, that didn't make the boat move any faster, unfortunately. It still took the full amount of time, and we didn't even have the benefit of daylight to get to see the view. It didn't really matter in the long run, though. The important thing was that we were here, together, and going to see my parents for Thanksgiving.

_Thanksgiving_.

A horrible thought struck me. I hoped my mom had remembered to purchase the groceries for the dinner. And to thaw the turkey. _Oh, my word, I hope she remembered to move the turkey from the freezer to the fridge._ I should have called her on Monday to remind her. But I'd been so overwhelmed with the suddenness of the trip and then work itself that I'd completely forgotten.

"What's wrong, love?" Edward's voice broke through my thoughts. I guess my worry had manifested itself in my expression.

"Nothing," I lied.

"Bella. Really. Aren't we beyond this stage? You don't have to worry about upsetting me. I just want to do anything I can to help you."

I smiled up at him. He was right. "There's nothing you can do to help. I was just worrying that my mom will have either forgotten to buy the food for tomorrow, or she'll have left the turkey in the freezer, rendering it useless."

"Is she really that bad? I mean, I know you've mentioned that sort of stuff frequently, but I've never seen anything to indicate that your mother is as scatterbrained as you make her out to be."

I narrowed my eyes at him and looked very seriously into his eyes. We were still on the ferry, so he was able to focus on me for a few more minutes. "You've met my mother a sum total of what, three times?" He nodded his head in affirmation. "And just to further clarify, she's only ever been in charge of things one of those times, correct?" Another nod as we both remembered the three times he'd met Renee. The first had been my canceled wedding, the second had been the weekend when we'd told my parents that we were having a baby, and then when she'd come to visit us in the apartment. "You do remember the time she was in charge of things, right? The only time we ate in that entire weekend was when _I_ cooked."

"That's true," he conceded, "but being a poor cook doesn't equal scatterbrained. I'm sure she's remembered to defrost the Thanksgiving turkey."

I hoped he was right, but I was not holding out high hopes. I shook my head, almost sadly, as I was almost positive that I was going to have a disaster on my hands tomorrow.

The ferry's buzzer sounded then, indicating that we were across the water. When the gate dropped, Edward restarted the engine and drove us off the boat, and we continued the trip. I just couldn't shake the dread I felt regarding the turkey that I knew was still in the freezer (or worse yet, not even purchased yet), so when I spotted a twenty-four hour grocery store, I instructed Edward to pull in. "You're that sure about your mom?" he questioned. "I mean, really, _no one_ can be scatterbrained enough to forget about Thanksgiving dinner, can they?"

"Unfortunately, yes, I am. I'm sure she's fallen into your 'no one' category. In fact, I'll bet you five bucks I'm right."

"Are you kidding?"

"No."

"Alright, I'll take that bet," he agreed, sticking his hand out. I gripped it and we shook once.

"Easiest five bucks I'll ever earn," I told him. "Besides, even if by some miracle she has remembered, I'll pay you. But it doesn't hurt to have extra food, just in case."

"I suppose that's true," he replied, laughing.

We climbed out of the rental car and I shivered. Late November was _cold_. I wrapped my arms around myself, struggling to warm my body even with my knee-length wool coat and matching scarf surrounding me. Edward joined me at my side and draped one arm over my shoulders, rubbing my arm with his hand. The friction he created warmed me some, but I was still shaking and my teeth chattering when we entered the store and were greeted by a warm gust of air. I sighed in relief at the sudden heat.

"So how much are we buying?" Edward asked before we'd made it very far into the store at all.

"Everything. Just to be safe," I replied.

"Alright. We'll need one of these, then," he said, grabbing the handle of one of the shopping carts and pushing it out of the foyer and into the store.

We moved through the aisles, not being very methodical at all with our approach to grocery shopping. I tried to think through and select only the things we needed for Thanksgiving dinner, and as we walked up and down the aisles, it seemed that there were several things from each aisle that I would need.

When we made it back to the meat department, I suddenly realized that shopping tonight wouldn't do a thing as far as being able to cook a turkey tomorrow. I frowned. "What's wrong?" Edward asked, pausing beside me. He'd been pushing the basket for me, and now, seeing my perplexed expression, was all concern again. I loved that about him; he was always so worried about me, and so caring about every little thing. I wondered for a split second if I should feel smothered by that. I didn't, and decided that I'd rather be happy in my relationship than irritated by the little things he did, especially when they were done out of love for me.

"It doesn't matter if I buy a turkey tonight; it'll still be frozen tomorrow when it's time to cook it."

He chuckled. "You're right about that," he conceded. "I didn't think about it, either."

I sighed. "This is going to be a disaster, I just know it," I mumbled.

"It's only a disaster if you let it become one. Why don't we just come up with an alternative to frozen turkey?"

"Like what?" My voice sounded miserable.

"Well, we could see if they have fresh turkeys. If not, then we can do something else. Ham, maybe. Or something completely off the wall and untraditional."

I eyed him speculatively. I wasn't sure I wanted something 'off the wall and untraditional.' It was Thanksgiving, for crying out loud. The holiday screamed tradition. I could do ham, but I wasn't going to make meatloaf or something. That was just wrong. "I'll give you ham, but I'm not going any less traditional than that."

"Fair enough," he laughed, beginning to push again. We made our way to the rear of the store, found the refrigerator case, and selected a ham.

I was exhausted by this point, and fairly certain that I'd chosen everything I'd need to cook an adequate holiday meal, even if it wasn't perfect. "Let's go," I said, my tiredness obvious in my voice, even to me.

"You're sure you have what you need?"

"I think so. Regardless, I'm too tired to think any more."

"Alright. Well, assuming we even need all of this—"

I cut him off. "We'll need it. Believe me."

"Okay. If you find that you've forgotten something when you start cooking tomorrow, then just let me know, though, okay? I'm at your service this weekend. Anything you need, I'll make sure you get."

"You've been to Forks, right?"

A flash of confusion crossed his stunning features. "Yeah, why?" His voice matched his expression.

"It's a traditional small town. Nothing will open on Thanksgiving day."

He laughed now, all traces of confusion gone. "I guess I've lived in the city too long."

It was my turn to feel confused. "I thought you've lived in a big city your entire life."

"See? Too long." We laughed together now. "The stores in the city never close," he said in explanation of his 'living in the city' comment.

"You don't live in a big city now, though," I reminded him.

"That's true, I don't. And I love my life now more than ever before."

"Me, too," I murmured, leaning against him.

We paid for the groceries and continued the journey to my parents' house. We made it there just after three in the morning. I couldn't remember the last time I'd stayed up so late, and was glad that the door was unlocked, just like it was supposed to be. Edward carried the grocery bags into the house, and together, we loaded the perishables into the fridge, but left the rest in bags on the kitchen floor. Then we quietly climbed the stairs to the second floor and fell into the bed in my old room without even bothering to change into pajamas first.

x-x-x

I woke up the following morning not sure whether I was more tired than I had been when I fell asleep or not. I didn't feel good, that was for sure. Today was not the day for feeling bad, though. I somehow pried my eyes open, and looked around, trying to find a clock. _Where am I? Oh, yeah, at Mom and Dad's house._ And it's Thanksgiving. And I have to cook. I sighed, not at all looking forward to the prospect of preparing the meal feeling the way I did. I wasn't sure what was wrong, I just knew that I didn't feel _right. _I rolled over and sat up in the bed, placing my feet on the floor. I glanced over my shoulder and was comforted to see Edward lying there, still asleep, still wearing his jeans, on top of the covers. Only his chest was moving with the inhales and exhales of his unconscious breaths. Seeing him there, so innocent and young-looking, made me smile, and while I was looking forward to spending time with my parents, I was even more looking forward to spending the holiday with Edward. It was our first major holiday as a couple, and now more than ever, I wanted to make it memorable for him, for us. I pushed aside my feelings of…unease, that was the best way to describe it, and rose from the bed, grabbing fresh clothes from my suitcase and depositing them in the bathroom on my way down the stairs to see my parents.

They were sitting at the kitchen table, drinking coffee and talking, when I entered the room. "Morning," I greeted them.

They both rose from their chairs, and my mom hugged me first, followed by a one-armed, sideways hug from my dad. "Oh, I'm so glad you made it, Bella, sweetie," my mother gushed. "Where's Edward? He's here, too, isn't he?"

"Yes, Mom, he's here. We got in really late last night. I was so afraid that you'd forget the Thanksgiving groceries that we stopped at the store on the way here."

My mom's eyes bugged out in horror. "The…Thanksgiving… Oh, I _knew _I was forgetting something!" she groaned. Then she turned to my father and swatted him on the chest. I was reminded of the way I'd done the very same thing to Edward just a few days before, when he'd said that he thought Jake was attractive. "Why didn't you remind me?" she accused him.

"Hey, don't look at me. I've been working doubles for two weeks. You know that. My deputy quit, and until we replace him, I've got very little free time. It's a miracle I was able to get today off, frankly."

"You're right, I'm sorry," my mother apologized. She turned back to me. "It's a good thing you take after your father." She laughed slightly, and I was glad now that I'd trusted my knowledge of my mother more than Edward's notion that no one could be forgetful enough to forget Thanksgiving dinner. Not to mention the fact that as soon as he woke up, I'd be five dollars richer. My mouth turned up at the corners when I remembered the bet. "What's so funny?"

"Edward didn't think it was possible for anyone to forget to buy the groceries for Thanksgiving dinner," I told her. The three of us laughed together.

"Has he met your mother?" my dad asked.

"I know, right? Well, we made a little wager last night, and it looks like I won."

"You bet against me?" My mother looked playfully indignant.

"I know you," was my only response.

"Alright, fair enough. I am pretty bad, huh?"

"You're the queen of disorganization and forgetfulness. But I love you all the same," I told her. "So, since I didn't think about this to remind you in enough time, either, there was no time to deal with a frozen turkey, so I got a ham. I hope that's okay. Other than that, we'll have the traditional meal, okay?"

My parents nodded their agreement, which was a good thing, since like I'd said, there was really no other choice. I turned away from them toward the small kitchen and began unloading the grocery bags that Edward and I had left on the floor the night before. "How did you not notice these bags here, by the way?" I asked over my shoulder.

"You know, I did, but I didn't look in them because I wasn't sure if they contained something that was for your eyes only or not, and I didn't want to be nosy, so I just decided to leave them for you to unpack in the morning or to let me know what you wanted done with them." I could hear the contemplation in her voice. "I still can't believe I forgot the Thanksgiving dinner, though."

I looked back to the dining table, at my dad this time, silently asking him the same question. "I don't know, Bells. I guess I just assumed the dinner fixings were something your mom picked up. Working doubles, remember?" he offered as a defense. I smirked at them both as I started to empty the sacks.

When everything was set out on the counters and organized into the order in which I would need it, I got to work. I started by poking cloves into the ham at regular intervals and then topped it with pineapple rings. I placed the whole thing in a roasting pan and set it aside, then got to work peeling and chopping the potatoes, followed by paring the carrots. My mom made up for her forgetting by helping wash all the veggies and taking the tips off the green beans. I'd bought date squares, shortbread cookies and a pumpkin pie from the little bakery they had at the grocery store and the ingredients for making whipped cream (which I would whip up later), along with turning the potatoes into garlic mashed once they were cooked. My dad and Edward really loved their potatoes done that way. Honestly, so did I. Garlic mashed potatoes, done properly, were a thing of beauty.

An hour later, everything was prepped and ready to go. I was officially feeling disgusting, considering I'd slept in the same clothes I was currently wearing; I'd intended to say good morning to my parents and give them each a big hug because I couldn't wait to see them again and then escape back upstairs for a shower before I'd started preparing the meal, but I'd forgotten. _I guess there's some Renee in me after all._ I smiled to myself. I excused myself and headed back upstairs. Because Edward hadn't come down yet, I half expected to see him still lying in the bed, sound asleep. I knew as I reached the top of the stairs, though, that that wasn't the case. I could hear the shower running. I smiled yet again, and opened the bathroom door.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, occupied!" Edward's startled voice came from behind the yellow shower curtain.

"It's okay," I giggled, "It's just me." I was already stripping out of my clothes.

His wet face and hair peeked out of the side of the curtain. "Hey, you. I missed you this morning."

"There was no reason to wake you. It was a short night." I yawned involuntarily, proving my point. I approached the shower and moved the curtain out of the way, climbing in. Edward had mostly finished his own washing by the time I joined him, so he just stepped out of the spray and let me wash.

Once we were dressed in fresh clothes, we deposited our dirty ones in the same plastic bag I'd been using for dirty clothes all week, and then descended the stairs to greet my parents again. The three of them—Edward, Mom, and Dad—chatted and caught up while I worked on the food some more. I didn't really listen to their conversation; I found my mind going back to the conversation with Rosalie. I still had a difficult time making sense of that. For one thing, why had she thought that it was an acceptable course of action, calling me? I knew what she'd said, that she was still with Emmett—and I was actually happy for them, honestly—and she was concerned that I'd come after him later. For what? Visitation? I would never force something on him he didn't want. Child support? I didn't need his money. Like Edward had said, even without his inheritance, we earned plenty. And we were still new in our careers. Our incomes would only go up in the next several years. But then Rosalie's voice—the shrill one from the phone, not the friendly one of Alice's sister—was whispering in my ear. _You may not need Emmett's money now, but you will when Edward drops you. It's only a matter of time; I mean, Emmett saw the light._

Everything went black.

x-x-x

**Edward**

I'd been shocked when the bathroom door opened during my shower, but then pleased when it had been Bella. There was nothing sexual about _this _joint shower, but it was nice in a different way. I loved that things didn't always have to be sexual between us; of course I loved those times, too, but I enjoyed the times like these when we could be together, whether we were touching or not, just as much. There was a much deeper bond between us now, a comfort level that really made me feel secure. We'd dried off together and dressed after that, me in jeans and a red tee shirt, her in one of the pairs of yoga pants and one of her own tees—a long sleeve blue Henley I loved on her, that I'd packed for her four days earlier. I found myself oddly disappointed that she wasn't wearing one of my shirts, but I decided quickly that that was ridiculous. She did have her own clothes for a reason. She'd opted out of shoes and socks for the morning, stating that she wasn't going to be going anywhere, anyway, so they wouldn't be necessary. I was uncomfortable going barefoot in someone else's house, though, so I quickly added shoes and socks to my own dress for the day, and then we went downstairs together.

I asked Bella if she needed or wanted my help before we reached the kitchen where her parents were sitting, drinking cups of coffee. She told me no, she'd be fine. So I poured my own cup of coffee and carried the mug over to the table where Charlie and Renee were sitting. "Good morning, Edward," Renee said happily.

"Morning, Renee. Chief," I said nodding at each of them in turn.

"You're not getting away that easily," Renee chided, rising from her chair and pulling me into a hug. I smiled, and since I hadn't sat yet, I easily returned the gesture. She reminded me a lot of my own mother, and I loved that. Bella was facing the kitchen counter, looking rather dazed. I wondered what was running through her mind, but didn't think too much about it. Once Renee released me, she and I took our respective chairs, and I reached over to shake Charlie's hand. He gripped mine firmly, but not maliciously. I could tell that it was just his normal handshake; he was strong for basically the same reason Jasper was strong: his job required it.

"So, Edward, how goes the… doctoring?" Charlie asked.

"It's good. I love my job. Something new every day."

The conversation didn't have a chance to progress past that. We were interrupted by a loud thumping sound, and I looked over to see Bella slumped on the floor at the base of the counter she'd just been standing at. I felt the panic rising in my chest, but forced it away, choosing instead to go into doctor-mode. It was almost painful to do so, but I looked at her less as the love of my life and mother of my unborn child in that moment, and more as a patient. Renee and Charlie looked at each other in horror, but found themselves unable to move. I hurried over to Bella, checking her pulse (which was racing) and feeling her chest for breath movement. Fortunately, I could feel that.

"We need to get her to the hospital. I think she'll be okay, but I can't make a diagnosis from the kitchen floor."

I think it was the word _hospital _that got them moving. They scurried around, finding shoes and coats as I lifted Bella into my arms bridal style. I adjusted her weight so that she was leaning against my chest, and walked out to the rental car, climbing into the backseat with her still cradled against me. Charlie and Renee were right behind me, and didn't even ask about my decision to get into my car, or why I'd gotten into the backseat. They just climbed into the front, with Charlie driving. I dug into my pocket and fished out the key, quickly handing it over, and within moments of Bella's initial collapse, we were on our way to the nearest hospital.

**A/N: Thanks for reading. As always, I'd love to hear your reaction to the chapter. Review=teaser. Although, I spent all of last week writing the outtake for FADV (see below), so chapter 34's not done yet. I say this just in warning that it'll probably Wednesday night before teasers go out. Still review, though! **

**I'm participating in a couple of fundraisers over the next several weeks. I've offered to donate some writings for two: Fandom against Domestic Violence and Foxy Fics Fundraiser for Parkinsons' Research. For the FADV, I'll be doing an outtake from the beginning of this chapter, the glossed over lemon. If you're interested in reading that, then head on over there and make a donation! Donations are being accepted from February 1-28, 2011, and there's a minimum $10 donation. Go to fandomagainstdomesticviolence(dot)blogspot(dot)com/p/how-to-donate(dot)html to make a donation. I'll also provide the link on my profile page.**

**For Foxy Fics, I'm doing a collaboration with the lovely Sarita Dreaming. That's going to be a really fun little story, but the fundraiser for that one doesn't start until March, so I'll have more info for you as it gets closer.**

**See you next Monday!**


	34. Not Quite Family

**A/N:** **I don't own **_**Twilight**_**.**

**Special thanks to my friends, Gerri (super beta extraordinaire) and Rory (the best pre-reader a girl could hope for), for making my story look like a super hero with their beautiful red and blue correction marks :). **

**And of course, thanks to you, for reading.**

**CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR: NOT QUITE FAMILY**

**Edward**

The drive to the hospital was terrifying and I wished I could blame it on Charlie's driving, but it was far worse; Bella never regained consciousness the entire way. I was thankful there was a hospital in Forks and that we didn't have to drive to one of the larger towns. I carried her in through the emergency doors with Renee right behind me. Charlie parked the rental and came jogging in through the doors just a couple of minutes later.

Bella was admitted fairly quickly. They didn't want to take any chances with an unconscious pregnant woman. They attached the non-stress monitors around her belly and carefully monitored both Bella and Harrison. The nurse drew three vials of blood before Bella woke up. That was Renee's idea, and it was a good one. I remembered that Bella didn't do well with blood, but I wasn't thinking clearly. I was more worried about what was wrong than with the best time and way for them to run their tests.

According to the monitors they hooked up, everything appeared to be normal with both Bella and the baby, other than the fact that Bella was still inexplicably unconscious. Charlie proved to be not very good in these situations; he was as much a wreck as I was, pacing back and forth and muttering all his fears about what could happen to Bella and the baby, as well as his regrets, which I admit were not helping squelch any of our concerns. So when Renee tried to talk him into going to the hospital cafeteria for some coffee and food (apparently they'd skipped breakfast, saving room for Thanksgiving dinner), I was in full agreement, encouraging them to go. Since Bella was currently unconscious, Charlie agreed to go as there really wasn't anything for them to do in her room. I promised to call them as soon as Bella woke up.

Half an hour later, that still hadn't happened. I hadn't left her side since the incident, and I was watching the monitors carefully, but I still hadn't come up with any reasonable explanation for her condition. Based on her most recent check-up with Dr. Snow, Bella and Harry were thriving and the monitors today were consistent with that view. _So what is it?_ I ran my hand through my hair again, pulling at the ends as if that would give any answers. _Exhaustion?_ I wondered if that was it. _Perhaps she's over tired from my keeping her up half the night, or stress from her work maybe_. I wouldn't know for sure until the results of the blood work come back, but could it be that I was to blame? I was so selfish, satisfying my need to be with her for hours, while she was obviously exhausted. And then driving here so late, on top of her jetlag and the time change from flying across the country. She had to be so tired from all that, on top of carrying my child as well. _This has got to change. I have to start taking better care of her._ I didn't even help her with the cooking this morning. I could have done something to help; but, no while she slaved away, I slept like a baby. "Oh Bella, I promise I'll take better care of you, just, please come out of this okay," I whispered to her. I lowered my head into my hands in frustration and annoyance with myself.

A doctor came bustling in to her room about then, a woman with flaming red hair. I read the embroidered name on her white lab coat: Dr. Victoria Forrest. "Well, well, well, what happened here?" she asked in a friendly yet overly cheerful voice.

"I'm not entirely sure," I told her. "I suspect she had a drop in blood sugar; one minute she was standing at the counter chopping vegetables for Thanksgiving dinner, the next she was on the floor. It was rather terrifying, honestly."

Dr. Forrest pulled the chart from the foot of Bella's bed and examined it before glancing back up at me. "And who are you, exactly?"

I extended my hand. "Dr. Edward Cullen. I'm Bella's boyfriend, and the father of the baby." The redhead took my hand, though she looked at it like it was a piece of trash stuck to the bottom of her shoe.

"Boyfriend?" she clarified. "Not husband?" All previous traces of friendliness in her voice were gone.

"No, ma'am."

"Hm," she tsked. "Well, you can stay during visiting hours, but I'm afraid it's family only beyond that, and I won't be able to offer you any details of Miss…" she glanced at the chart again, "Swan's condition. Does she have family here?"

I looked at her with what I assumed was absolute disbelief on my face. That's how I felt. It quickly turned to anger. I _was_ Bella's family. She was carrying my child; how much more connected could two people get? _We could get married. _I took a deep breath to reign in my temper and said, "Of course. Her parents are here."

"Good. So that won't be a problem, then." She wrote something down on the chart and turned and left the room.

I sat there fuming in the quiet room. I wasn't really mad at the hospital, though, when I thought about it. We had the same rules at the hospital I used for my admitted patients back home. They were designed for the patient's safety, and I couldn't begrudge this hospital the same rules I used. I even agreed with the rules. I was mad at myself for being in this situation in the first place.

I should have married her last weekend, as soon as I was sure she was okay with it. But, that wouldn't have been fair to her parents. I knew they'd want to watch her get married. They thought they were going to get that chance five months ago, and things had fallen apart. I didn't want to leave them out of the important things in Bella's life. I considered going to the courthouse and getting the necessary paperwork now, and making the commitment as soon as she woke, but that wasn't feasible, either. For one, I was pretty sure Washington had a three-day waiting period. For another, I didn't want to leave my parents—especially my mother—out either. They'd want to witness my marriage. I sighed, still frustrated by the choices I'd made that led to this place. Thinking through all of this didn't make me feel any better about it, though. I resigned myself to the fact that I'd be obeying Dr. Forrest's orders whether I wanted to or not.

Bella shifted in the hospital bed. My eyes snapped up to her face, hoping she'd wake. I watched her face carefully, and from my perch on the turquoise recliner next to her, I reached out and held her left hand, the one without the I.V. in it. The contact, though slight, seemed to have a physical effect on her. She mumbled something incoherent—it sounded like, "Don't leave me," but I couldn't be sure—and her eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Bella?" I knew I should call the nurse in to take her vitals if she was waking up, but I was feeling a little selfish at that moment. I knew I was qualified to take care of her, so I looked again at the paper feeding out of the machine monitoring Bella's condition and Harrison's, and they both looked fine. I made the decision then to wait a few minutes before dealing with the hospital staff. I wouldn't wait all day or anything, but I wanted to try to talk to Bella before she was bombarded with additional caretakers.

Her brown eyes looked into mine, and the only emotion I could see in her face was fear. That was confirmed when she spoke. "Where am I? What happened?" Her voice was so weak it made my heart break to hear it.

"You're going to be okay. We were at your parents' house, and you were fixing Thanksgiving dinner. You said you didn't want any help, so the rest of us were talking at the table. And then you fainted. I don't know for sure what triggered it. One minute you were standing at the counter preparing the food, and the next, you were slumped on the floor. It was terrifying. I couldn't make a firm diagnosis from your parents' kitchen, so we brought you to the hospital; that's where you are now. I suspect you're just exhausted and in need of food, but again, I wanted to be certain."

She watched me talk with an expression of either interest or confusion, I couldn't tell which. "What about the baby?" she asked quietly.

"He's fine. I've been watching your monitors and his, and everything looks good. Your doctor won't talk to me directly since we're not married, but that's normal." I tacked on the last three words as a reassurance to her; when I'd said that her doctor wouldn't talk to me, her face looked horrified. I didn't blame her; I felt the same way. It _was _normal, though. She seemed to relax a bit at my reassurance.

"Where are my parents?"

"They went to the cafeteria. I told them I'd call as soon as we knew anything. Which we won't until we get one of the local staff in here." I said this as a warning that I'd be calling her nurse now, and she didn't say anything else in return.

I stood, still holding her hand, and pressed the nurse's call button on Bella's bed. Bella moved her right hand to the top of her belly. "Yes?" a voice squawked through the bedrail.

"She's awake," I told the voice.

"Oh, good. I'll be right in." There was a quiet _click_ as the speaker system disengaged. As promised, the nurse—whose name badge read _Tia_—entered the room less than a minute later. She was young, probably not any older than Bella herself, and seemed friendly enough. "How are you feeling?" Tia asked, pushing a button on the machine keeping track of Bella's vitals to start the blood pressure test.

Bella looked at her with fatigue etched in her every movement. "I feel better, but still weak," she said.

"Well, that's a good place to start. Let's see here…" Tia trailed off, looking over at the clock on the wall. "The lunch trays will be prepared pretty soon, within the hour I'd guess. I'll make sure to have one brought in for you. You should make sure to eat. That'll help a bit with your energy. We won't know for sure what's going on until we get your blood work back, though." Bella's face blanched. The nurse looked alarmed. "Are you sure you're feeling better?"

"She just gets squeamish around blood," I explained to Tia. Then I looked over at Bella. "Don't worry, love. They drew your samples while you were sleeping." I ran my fingers gently over her skin surrounding the band-aid in the crook of her elbow. I was reminded of something else I'd done to that very spot the previous night, in the Seattle hotel. _Not now! _I chastised myself. Bella sighed and some of the color returned to her face.

"Okay," Tia replied, not looking entirely convinced. "Well, like I said, I'll make sure to bring in some food soon, and I'll let Dr. Forrest know that you're awake. In the meantime, just relax. Your blood pressure looks great, you're obviously not under any stress at the moment, and," she looked at the baby's monitor, "your baby looks great, too. I suspect that the doctor will want to keep you overnight, just to be safe, but so long as things stay the same as they are right now, I don't expect you to need to stay beyond mid-morning tomorrow. Do you have any questions for me?"

"Er, no, not right now," Bella said.

Tia turned to me. "What about you?"

"No, I don't, thank you."

"Okay. Once I have spoken to Dr. Forrest and she lets me know if she wants you to have anything besides lunch and rest, I'll let you know; otherwise I'll be in to check on you later, Bella." Tia smiled warmly at us.

"Thank you," Bella said. Tia just smiled at her and left the room. When we were alone again, she turned her head to me. "Thank you for having them take my blood while I was unconscious. I would've passed out again if I'd had to have it done now." Her face paled again at the mere thought of that.

"Honestly, that was your mom's idea. I can't take even one iota of credit for that," I told her.

"My mom," she said. It sounded like it could have been an exclamation if she'd been feeling better. "And my dad. Can you call them now?"

"Yes of course, love, I meant to do that already." I walked around to the other side of her bed, where the room phone was. This hospital had a strict _no cell phones _rule in all patient rooms.

I pulled the slip of paper that Charlie had written his cell phone number on from my pocket, and dialed the digits. He picked up on the first ring. "Is she awake?" he greeted me.

"Yes, and she's asking to see the two of you," I informed him.

"We'll be right there." He hung up quickly.

I replaced the phone in its cradle and let Bella know that they were coming. I returned to the faux-leather chair and sat with her until they arrived, about ten minutes later. Renee probably knew that I would never want to leave Bella's side until this crisis was over, so she graciously brought me back a huge oatmeal raisin muffin and a coffee. I thanked her for that and even though I wanted to stay with Bella until the moment she was discharged—or until Dr. Forrest threw me out—I knew that Charlie and Renee would want to spend some time with their daughter too. This was their Thanksgiving with her after all, so I excused myself to eat the muffin down the hall in the visitor's lounge and placed a call to my mom. She'd want to know what was going on.

As soon as I was situated with my not-quite -Thanksgiving meal, I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket, turned it back on, and dialed my mom. "Edward," she enthused upon answering. "Happy Thanksgiving!"

"Happy Thanksgiving, Mom." My voice was tired.

"What's wrong?" I would never cease to be amazed at how she did that. She could read the inflection in my tone better than anyone else on the planet.

"Bella fainted while she was cooking this morning. We're at the hospital in Forks now."

"Oh, my goodness. Is she going to be okay? What about the baby?"

"They're both fine," I assured her. "We're still waiting on getting her blood work back, but her nurse expects her to be discharged in the morning. Of course, that could all change if there's something in her blood that suggests this was more than just exhaustion."

"Do you think that's going to happen?" My mother's voice was full of concern, just like I knew it would be. She'd already grown to love Bella like her own child.

"I hope not," I answered honestly. "But I really can't say. I don't know if there was some other factor involved in her fainting or not. She's only just woken up, and now she's with her parents. I only had a few minutes to talk to her. If it was anything more than just a lack of nutrition, then it's very possible that she could end up on bed rest or something. Of course, I'll be the last to know." My voice turned bitter as I remembered the red-haired doctor's words.

"What do you mean?"

"They're not going to tell me anything directly because we're not married yet."

"Oh, Edward. That must be so hard. But surely, Renee and Charlie will talk to you, right?"

"I'm sure they will," I said. I seemed to get along with them pretty well; I liked to think that they wouldn't keep anything from me. "Even if they don't, Bella will make sure I'm kept in the loop."

"Of course she will, dear. Now, Edward, I know this may not be the time for this question, but you've planted the bug in my ear. Do you have plans to do the right thing and make an honest woman out of that girl?"

"Mother!" I exclaimed.

"Well, it's a fair question. You wouldn't be in this predicament if you'd done that already."

"I know," I muttered. "I already gave myself this lecture."

"Good," my mom stated. "You should have. Now it's my turn. Do you intend to marry Bella?"

"Yes, I do. I've already bought the ring and everything."

"You have?" She sounded surprised.

"Yes. Months ago. I bought it on Bella's birthday. I've just been waiting for the right moment to ask her."

"And when is that moment going to be?"

"I don't know, Mom. Soon."

"Are you planning—"

I cut her off. "Mom. I've felt Bella out, and I'm positive that she's ready. I guarantee you that you'll get to plan a wedding before March."

"That's all I ask," she said, and I could hear the smile in her voice.

I'd been eating my muffin the whole time we were talking, and with the last piece disappearing into my mouth I wiped my face on the napkin Renee had provided for me. "Listen, Mom, I'm gonna go back up to Bella's room now. I'll call you when I know anything more, okay?"

"Okay, sweetheart. I'll tell your dad what happened; know that our thoughts and prayers are with you and Bella and that precious baby. Give Bella a hug for me."

"I will. Bye."

I threw my napkin and empty coffee cup into the trash can on my way out of the cafeteria and walked the corridor back to Bella's room. I knocked on the door to enter just as Dr. Forrest was exiting. "Did you get her lab results back?" I asked.

She eyed me up and down. "I can't divulge that information. If the patient wants to talk to you about it, then that's her prerogative. I told you already, Dr. Cullen, that since you're not family, I can't talk to you about her condition."

"What about my son?" I shouted at her. "I'm family to him! Can you tell me how he's doing at least?" I took a deep breath, frustrated at myself for having lost my temper. "Look, I'm sorry. That was out of line. But seriously, just because we're not married doesn't mean that I'm not her family."

"I understand that, Doctor," she said, her voice softening. "And I truly wish I could tell you. You'd probably understand better than they did. But it's hospital regulations, not my personal beliefs. I'd tell you if I could."

"Thank you," I told her. She walked away, down the hallway and I entered Bella's room. She had a tray of food—that looked nothing like Thanksgiving dinner, either—on the rolling table in front of her. I was glad to see that regardless of what it consisted of, she'd eaten most of it. "Hey, love. How're you feeling?" I leaned in and kissed her forehead.

"Better," she said, giving me the same answer she'd given Nurse Tia earlier. I believed her this time, though. She looked better. She even smiled at me.

"Any news from your doctor?" I was trying to be nonchalant about the fact that I hadn't been able to garner any information. No one seemed to notice my irritation over the fact that I didn't know.

"She said that there was nothing abnormal in my lab results, so I was probably just too stressed."

"That's a relief," I replied, sighing. I'd been pretty sure that exhaustion or stress was the case, but it was good to know for sure. "Did she say anything else?" I was specifically wondering about how to avoid another such episode. I knew what I'd tell one of my patients in this situation, and I wondered if the red-headed doctor gave the same advice.

"Well, she's just going to send the record of my visit over to Dr. Snow," Bella began. "She recommended cutting back at work until he's born," she patted her stomach affectionately, "but she said that the decision would ultimately be up to Dr. Snow and me."

I listened to her carefully, noticing first that she'd remembered to keep Harrison's name quiet. My next thought was that I respected Dr. Forrest a lot more than I had five minutes ago. Not only had she made it clear that she _wanted_ to talk to me about things but couldn't, but she'd also given Bella the exact same advice I would have. I also noticed that Charlie and Renee were very quiet, just watching Bella and me interact. "Do you have any thoughts on that? I mean, obviously we'll wait and talk to Dr. Snow, but if he suggests that, are you going to be okay with it?"

She looked contemplative for a moment before responding. "I love my job, but I love you and the baby even more. I'll do whatever I need to do to keep him safe."

My heart swelled with love for the woman lying there on the hospital bed in front of me. After hearing that, I couldn't not touch her. I leaned in and kissed her softly on the mouth, and gave her a gentle hug. She responded instantly, moving her lips against mine, and it took every ounce of effort I could muster to not deepen the kiss. I forced myself to remember where we were, and the fact that her parents were in the room with us. As if I needed reminding, Charlie cleared his throat loudly right behind me. Bella pulled away and blushed; she'd obviously not done as good a job at remembering that they were there. I kissed her one more time chastely on the mouth, and stood up straight, before sitting on the edge of the bed and taking one of her hands in one of mine. Charlie didn't say anything more, he just watched us pointedly. I couldn't help but shake my head and laugh quietly, rubbing my free hand over the back of my neck. I suddenly remembered my conversation with my mom. "So, I was able to speak with my mom before and she says she hopes you feel better soon," I told Bella. "And she sends a hug."

"Aw, you talked to her?" she asked. I noticed her eyes were starting to droop a little.

"Yeah, I knew she would want to know what happened and to exchange Happy Thanksgiving greetings."

"That's nice." The word 'nice' was stretched way out as Bella yawned.

"You should sleep, baby," I told her.

"Yeah, I am a little tired," she murmured.

"Rest. I'll be here when you wake up."

Bella didn't need telling twice; she quite willingly obliged by closing her eyes, and within minutes was breathing the slow, deep breaths of sleep.

When she woke up an hour later, I had to ask her one thing. I hated to do it while she was in the hospital, but I needed to know. Her parents had gone home for a couple of hours, but promised that they'd be back to visit again before the night was over; I was glad to be alone with her while we had this conversation.

"Hey," she murmured, smiling through her sleepy-looking eyes.

"Hi. Bella, I want you to know how sorry I am that I didn't take better care of you."

"Shush now, what are you saying? You're not to blame."

"I'm sorry I didn't realize you were doing too much, that you were stressed out, that you were exhausted. Last night, I kept you up most of the night satisfying my needs to be with you and I should have realized… If anything had of happened to you or to our baby, I never would have forg…"

"Stop, Edward, I don't regret what we did last night; it was my decision too, to make love to you for hours; because I needed you too, so don't try to blame yourself when I was just as responsible."

"I love you so much, Bella."

"And I love you, and you make me so happy…" She stifled a yawn, then continued, "whenever I open my eyes you're still here."

"Of course I'm still here. Where else would I go?"

"I don't know. Rose said…" Her breathing picked up at the mention of Rose. I paused to think for a minute. _Rose. Rose._

"Your fiancé-stealing ex-friend?" I asked.

"Mm. Yeah. She's not a very good friend, is she?" Bella sounded so drowsy still.

"What did Rose say, Bella? You can tell me. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere."

"She said that you were going to drop me."

"What? When?"

"At my mom and dad's house. Right before I woke up here."

"Bella, Rosalie wasn't at your parents' house."

"No, she wasn't. She was in my head, though as I kept replaying what she told me, over and over on repeat. I know I shouldn't have given what she said any thought, but I couldn't help it."

My temper was flaring again. It was even harder to control than when I'd yelled at Dr. Forrest. Rosalie was really getting on my nerves, and I'd only met the woman twice. "Bella, I have something I need to take care of. Do you think you'll be okay here by yourself for a little while? I promise you, I'll be back shortly; I just have to make a quick phone call. Is that okay? I won't be long. You really should just rest some more anyway and you know you do _not_ have to worry about me _dropping you, _right?" The words 'dropping you' came out in a tone of disgust; nothing could be further from the truth. I couldn't imagine my life without Bella. The very thought of us not being together made me sick to my stomach.

"I know Edward. I don't know why I let her get to me. I really tried, but then her words just came back unexpectedly."

"Oh Bella, I'm so sorry she said those things to you. Don't worry anymore, just rest and I'll be right back." I leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Okay," she sighed, her eyes fluttering closed again. I found it almost odd that the very question I'd wanted to ask her—what had caused her panic attack—was the one thing that came out naturally over the course of our conversation. And now, I had to have an unpleasant talk with Rosalie.

I fished around in Bella's purse until I found her cell phone. I didn't really like invading her privacy that way, but I had to get a phone number for Rosalie. Phone in hand, I strode purposefully from the room, not stopping until I was outside in the crisp fall air. Using Bella's phone, I placed the call to her former friend.

"Hello?"

"Is this Rosalie?"

"Er, yes. Who's this?"

"Hi. This is Edward Cullen, Bella's boyfriend."

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh. Listen, I just want to tell you that you need to back off. You've been a horrid friend to Bella. Now, I'm not going to get into the whole stealing-her-fiancé issue, because frankly, that betrayal worked out great for me."

Rosalie scoffed into the phone. "I didn't have to steal him. He came willingly."

"You know what? I don't even care. Like I said, that's not why I'm calling. I'm calling to tell you that you need to back off. You have no business in our lives. The baby is mine, not Emmett's, and even if he was the father, it _still_ wouldn't be any of your business."

"Like hell it wouldn't."

"Moot point," I said, taking a deep breath and silently counting to ten. This woman was grating on my nerves.

I'd gotten as far as six when her shrill voice was interrupting my thoughts. "So, Bella wouldn't let me see the actual test result. That's the only reason I called her. Show me the paper, convince me that you're telling the truth, and I'm gone. Out of your lives for good. _Hasta la vista, baby._"

I had to restart my counting after that. I reached ten, took another deep breath for good measure, and said, "We will do no such thing. I guarantee you that I'm telling the truth, and moreover, that we will not be coming after you—or rather Emmett—for child support or visitation. The baby is mine, and you would do well to remember that. Now, keep your nose out of our business, and everything will be fine. If you continue to harass Bella about this, I _will_ file a restraining order against you. I will do everything in my power to make sure you stay away. So don't mess with me. When it comes to the health of Bella and my son, it's no holds barred."

She was finally rendered speechless. After half a minute of silence, I spoke again. "Do you understand me?"

"Yeah." I could tell she was trying to maintain her aloof composure, but her voice sounded small at the same time. _Good. Maybe I've gotten through to her._

"Make sure you remember." I hung up without another word.

x-x-x

After my outburst, Dr. Forrest had overridden hospital policy on one issue: she let me stay the night in Bella's room. The night was uneventful, and just like Tia had suspected, Bella was discharged the following day. We went back to her parents' house and had a very calm, relaxing afternoon, and everyone waited on Bella, making sure she had nothing to stress over. While Bella rested with her feet up on the couch all tucked in under the throw blanket, Renee and I made dinner for everyone, which not surprisingly turned out perfectly. We had a little help in this regard since Bella had already prepared it—our entire Thanksgiving dinner—before she collapsed on the floor the previous day. All Renee and I had to do was heat and serve her delicious meal, which everyone, including Bella, enjoyed. Being a fairly independent woman, she was actually rather frustrated with all of us by the time Saturday rolled around. While she loved her parents, she was anxious to get home. "If I have to lounge around all day, I at least want to do it in my own house," she told me that morning. Our tickets were for a red eye flight Saturday night going into Sunday morning, so we left Charlie and Renee's right after lunch to make the four hour drive back to Seattle.

"You guys are coming to our place for Christmas, right?" Bella clarified as we were loading up the rental car.

"Yep, got our tickets purchased already," Charlie replied.

"Good." Bella smiled. "You can be our first house-guests." She looked excited at the prospect.

"Just remember, love, we'll have Jasper and Alice at our place that week, too," I reminded her.

"Oh, Alice is coming?" Renee asked. "I haven't seen her in months. That'll be lovely."

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it," Bella told her mom. "Well, we need to get going. But I'll see you next month, okay? And we'll talk way before then." She gave each of her parents a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and I helped her into the car.

Just as I hoped she would, Bella slept most of the flight home. I gently woke her as the pilot was announcing our arrival. "We're here, baby," I whispered into her ear.

"Hm?" she muttered sleepily, her eyes not quite open.

"You can go back to sleep in the car, but I need you to wake up long enough to get there." I kissed her forehead.

I ended up practically dragging her through the airport, to baggage claim, and finally out to the long-term parking garage where I loaded up the Volvo with our suitcases and Bella. She was walking around, but I didn't think she was awake. When I went through the same thing once we'd gotten home, I was sure of it. I helped her out of the car and tucked her under my arm against my side, forgoing the luggage until I got her into the house and settled on the bed for the time being. I couldn't help but smile as I took her in; she was just so darn cute and innocent looking. I wasn't surprised that she was just about asleep; after everything that had happened, she needed it.

Once I got her out of her clothes, into a night-shirt and situated in bed, I undressed and climbed in next to her. It didn't really matter that it was eight in the morning; I was tired after traveling all night, too. Before I could fall asleep though, I couldn't help but think about everything that had transpired during our weekend in Washington, and how thankful I was that things turned out as they did. It could have been so different, with a different result, but I was not going to dwell on that now; I was just going to be thankful that I had my Bella and our baby safe in our bed beside me. I turned my head to look at her sleeping peacefully and couldn't resist scooting over a little closer opting to slip my arm under her pillow to coax her head onto my chest, and held her close. I decided then and there that sooner rather than later, I was going to make this beautiful girl in my arms my wife—if she'll still have me. I made a promise to myself that as soon as I woke up, I'd figure out my 'how to pop the question' plan. I fell asleep easily after that.

**Thanks for reading! As per usual, a review will get you a teaser! Also, any mistakes in this chapter were all mine; my lovely beta has been busy having a baby this week, so she wasn't able to go over the chapter this week. Hopefully she'll be back on the team in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, you'll just have to put up with me, lol. I'm a strong editor, so there shouldn't be too many mistakes, but with the computer meltdown of '11 (see below), I may have missed some. **

_**Update**_**: If you read this chapter on opening day (24 Jan 11), I sincerely apologize. There were so many mistakes, and I'm truly embarrassed at the poor quality of this chapter. Somehow, the "track changes" feature got turned on, and when I deleted the parts that were being cut, it didn't take for the final draft. It's all fixed now, and hopefully this problem won't happen again.**

**I've been meaning to do this for awhile, but I keep forgetting. I wanted to take a minute to rec a story that I've been reading. My friend Noodles (Twinkle101 on here) writes a lovely fic called The Peep Show, and it's a break from the normal "unlimited money" Edward and Bella stories. Her take on the characters is more along the lines of helping people, and they work for an organization that does just that. It's a lovely story that definitely deserves to be read. You should go check it out (find it on my favorites list)!**

**And, if you haven't yet, go read Sexual Healing, my collab with my good friend Caz. You can find us as wmrcaz on both FF and Twi'd. We've got 5 chapters posted now, and that's another one that updates every week. The story is on my favorites list, as well as linked in the main part of my profile.**

**So, if you follow me on twitter (wmr1601), you'll know that I had a bit of a computer meltdown this past week. You can all thank Rory for keeping my chapter on her computer; without that, I would be posting an apologetic author note instead of a chapter today. Anyway, long story short, I had to have my computer completely rebuilt, and I lost all of my documents. Fortunately, 99% of them were backed up either online or on an external drive. Anyway, all this is to say that I'm still working on next week's chapter. You'll have to forgive me if I'm late next week. I hate even entertaining that thought, but it's looking like a very real possibility at that point. Follow me on twitter for the latest updates, okay? Thanks for understanding!**

**See you next week (I hope...)!**


	35. Nesting

**A/N: I don't own _Twilight. _I also don't own _The Last Christmas_; that one's borrowed from Sixpence None the Richer; there's a link to the youtube video on my profile.**

**Special thanks to my friends Gerri (super beta) and Rory (the best pre-reader I could hope for). Without them, this story wouldn't be what it is today :).**

**And of course, thanks to you for reading.**

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE: NESTING

Edward

After sleeping most of the day away, I was glad that I'd had the forethought to let my parents know before the holiday that we wouldn't be over that Sunday night. They were a little disappointed since we'd missed Thanksgiving, too, but they understood; they got to see us on a regular basis, while Charlie and Renee went from seeing Bella moderately frequently to not having that option anymore. I lavished the same treatment on her at home as the three of us—her parents and me—had the previous day at their house. She was a little more willing to accept the help now that it was just us and we were at home. I honestly loved having the time just the two of us; there weren't going to be many more lazy Sundays like that.

The following weekend, I awoke on Sunday feeling remarkably refreshed, unlike the week before. My brain had been working overtime all week long, and I had a few ideas for possible ways to _pop the question_. The one scene that was the same in each scene was me down on one knee gazing up into Bella's eyes. I knew that I wanted to provide her with a traditional proposal. I lay there, holding Bella while she slept and turning all the possibilities over in my mind.

That's when it hit me. The perfect time wasn't one that I'd dreamed about that night or previously; it would be better than any of those.

Bella turned in my arms before I could form any concrete plans, stretching as her eyes fluttered open. "Good morning," I said, kissing her nose.

"Morning," she replied sleepily.

"How are you feeling?"

"You really should stop worrying about me."

"Never happen," I promised. "As long as I live, you'll be in the forefront of my mind, and I wouldn't want it any other way."

"Well, I'm feeling fine, _Doctor_. Good, even."

"Just promise that you'll tell me if you don't, okay? The last thing I want is a repeat of last weekend."

We laid there silently for a few minutes, just enjoying the feel of each other's bodies, until I heard Bella's stomach grumble loudly. As much as I wanted to hold her all day long, I also needed to take care of her. I'd given her my word after her stint in the hospital that I would, and I was _not _going to break that promise. I reluctantly released her and rose from the bed. "Why don't you take a shower, if you want?" I suggested to her. "I'll have breakfast ready when you get out."

She smiled at me. "That sounds great."

We parted ways—temporarily—and I got to work on homemade waffles and bacon in the kitchen. When she walked in twenty minutes later, I was just pulling the final waffle off of the iron. I walked the few steps over to the stove, where I'd been heating the blackberry syrup—Bella's favorite—and stirred it. The bacon had finished a few minutes before, and was dripping on paper towels. "It smells great in here," she praised.

I smiled. "Thanks. Go sit, and I'll bring you a plate."

She did, and seconds later, I was carrying two plates to the breakfast bar separating the kitchen and dining room. We ate comfortably, talking about everything and nothing until we'd finished eating. As I was loading the dishes into the dishwasher, I asked her, "So, what do you want to do today?"

"Honestly?"

"Of course, honestly. I always want an honest answer from you, no matter what."

"Well, I kind of want to start on the baby's room. We haven't done anything in there since we moved in."

She was right; we hadn't even thought about the nursery at all. "That sounds great. Any ideas?"

"Nothing specific. Probably a lot of blue, though."

I chuckled. "Blue it is."

Because it was Sunday, that meant dinner with my parents in the evening, so we went to the baby store in Chicago rather than Wheaton. We went to the back of the store where they had the sample nurseries set up and looked at each one. About two-thirds of the way through them, Bella gasped. "This is it," she murmured. "That's the one I want."

Standing at the edge of the carpet, I looked at the mock-up room. It was all blue and brown with an airplane motif. Everything was displayed, and I could actually imagine it in my grandfather's old office—the room we'd designated for the baby's room. The furniture was all dark brown and would compliment the hardwood that was in the room perfectly. It included wall hangings and bedding, a floor rug and the furniture; virtually everything we'd need. Bella was walking around the small area, touching each piece. "Can I help you folks with anything?" a friendly voice interrupted my thoughts.

I turned toward the saleswoman. "Well, I think we're interested in buying this set," I told her. Then, looking back at Bella, "You're sure this is the one you want?"

She turned back around to face me, and her face was absolutely glowing; she looked so happy… so gorgeous. She was obviously sure about this decision, which was good enough for me. "Yes, Edward, it's exactly what I imagined for him. What do you think?"

"I think it's perfect." I smiled at Bella in acknowledgment and then turned to face the sales woman, before shifting my gaze to the print that hung over the bed. "This is the one. We'll take it. All of it, the furniture, the bedding, the curtains, the carpet and the print." There was a giant poster sized framed print of a two-seater biplane being flown over a grassy field by a little boy wearing huge goggles, and what looked like a leather flight jacket and a white scarf around his neck, blowing in the wind. He had a big smile on his face and his dog sitting behind him in the other seat all buckled in with goggles and a white scarf of its own. Not that we wanted our son to grow up to be a pilot necessarily, but the boy in the picture, something about him looked so familiar with his auburn hair and his mischievous, crooked smile, like he was having the time of his life. I smirked. _Just like me_, I realized. The clerk spoke again, bringing me out of my reverie.

"Very good," the young woman said. "Are you interested in taking everything home tonight, or do you need delivery later in the week?"

Bella looked at me expectantly. I could read her desire in her expression. She wanted to get everything home as soon as possible and get started. The nesting bug had hit her suddenly and hard. Unfortunately, we'd brought the Volvo, so we didn't have room for all of this stuff in the car. I didn't want to disappoint Bella, though. "Give me a second," I told the saleswoman.

"Of course."

I turned and walked outside into the chilly almost-Winter air, pulling my cell phone out of my pocket as I walked. I wasn't keen on relying on my parents so much—most of the time, I'd rather wait a little longer and do things myself—but the look on Bella's face was too much for me. I felt an irrational need to give her everything she wanted.

My father answered his phone quickly, on the third ring. "Hello?"

"Hey, Dad."

"Edward. What a pleasant surprise. Please don't tell me you're calling to cancel for tonight. Your mother's been cooking all day; she's really looking forward to spending time with Bella after what happened in Washington."

"No, I'm not canceling. We're actually in the city now, buying baby furniture."

"Ah," he replied knowingly.

"Yeah. But I drove the Volvo, and she really wants to get everything home tonight. Is there any way you could bring your truck down and help us get everything home after dinner tonight?"

"I think that can be arranged," he said. I could imagine the smile on his face and the way his eyes would be crinkling just now.

"Thank you."

"That's what parents are for. How late is the store open?"

I turned back to face the store, and read the hours printed on the glass door. "Only until 6, since it's Sunday," I told him.

"In that case, I'll come now. We'll get everything loaded up, and you guys can come here. After dinner, we'll all go back to your place and get the furniture built. That way it's all ready for your lovely lady to start decorating when she's ready."

"That sounds great. Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome, Son. I'll be there soon."

"Okay, we'll be here."

I disconnected the call and reentered the store. Bella was chatting happily with the salesclerk, but looked over at me when I sat down next to her at the sales desk. "Hi," she said, and her smile was brighter than the fluorescent lights above us.

"Hi." I kissed her forehead. Turning back to the saleswoman, I said, "We'll take everything today."

From my peripheral vision, I saw Bella's eyes widen. "How?" she murmured.

"My dad's bringing his pickup," I told her.

"Very good, sir. The first thing we need to do is go back to the display room you've selected and get the tags for the furniture, and the other large items and I'll get them boxed up for you so they won't get damaged when you take them with you." She rose from her chair; Bella and I followed suit. She led us first to the front, where the shopping carts were located, and pulled one away from the others. "I think we will need this to bring the smaller items to the check out," she said, smiling. Then the three of us went back to the 'airplane room' and I took over possession of the cart from there. "Now, I'd suggest at least three to five crib sheets; beyond that, it's really up to the two of you what you want as far as quantities of everything else. I'll leave you to pick out the smaller items while I get some help with the rest; take your time and I'll meet you at the front of the store when you're ready." She let us know we could call her over if we had any questions or required any further assistance and then she turned and walked away, leaving us alone. I, for one, felt kind of bewildered, yet the mood I was in, I couldn't care less.

I looked at Bella. "This is all you, love," I just smirked at her. "Pick whatever you want, anything you think we'll need."

Watching Bella peruse the aisles, while I happily pushed the shopping cart beside her was something else. I remembered from past letters—when we were younger, around sixteen or eighteen—that she didn't particularly enjoy shopping. This time, though, she really seemed to be in her element. I didn't know if she'd had some change in personality in the past ten years that she hadn't mentioned in a letter or if it really was just the nesting instinct kicking in, but she really seemed to be enjoying herself now… and, I had to admit, I was having a good time as well.

As Bella continued to fill our cart, I felt my eyes glaze over, and I tried to plan out more details for the proposal. The same image kept filling my mind again and again; that of me, kneeling next to a large, decorated Christmas tree in our house. Or maybe my parents' house, I wasn't quite sure yet. Not all of the details were clear, but I knew that a Christmas proposal was exactly what I wanted. My mouth turned up in an involuntary smile at the image. I imagined her with a huge grin on her face, her eyes clouded with happy tears as she pulled me by the wrists up to her, gushing, "Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" I was happier than I'd ever been in my life.

"Should we get any clothes yet?" Bella's voice pulled me back to reality.

"Hm?"

"Clothes? Or diapers? Should we get some of that stuff today?"

"Whatever you think," I told her.

"You have to have an opinion," she challenged me. "All day long it's been 'whatever I think.' I appreciate you giving me free reign but I need your help, your input, so now, I'm asking you. Do you think we should get a few other things while we're here, or wait until later?"

"I'm sorry, I've just been distracted today. But honestly, I don't have a clue about babies. I deliver 'em, but I've never prepared for one before."

"And you think I have?" Bella just shook her head and let out a little sigh.

"No, of course not. We're in this together, just a couple of newbies aren't we?" I smiled at her as we walked down the next aisle. "We'll figure it out, love, and what we don't figure out, well, we have our parents to tell us the rest, Newbie," I called her. I placed my thumb and pointer finger on either side of her chin and raised it up so I could plant a soft kiss on her now smiling lips. "So, to answer your question, I think we _should_ get him a few outfits. And diapers, well, yeah, we'll definitely need lots of those. May as well stock up while we're here." I smiled.

"Thank you," she mumbled as she placed her hand on top of mine which was holding the hand rail of the shopping cart. She looked back at the many items on display and all I could do was watch her, the gleeful look on her face—like a kid in a candy store—when suddenly, something caught her eye and she tightened her grip on my hand, "Oh Edward look at these little bibs, they have one for every day of the week." I couldn't help but smile back at her; she just looked so thrilled by such a simple thing, and that was thrilling to me.

Then we saw a little lamp suitable for Harrison's bedside table and we both shouted out at the exact same time, "It's perfect!" It had a light blue pottery base with a two-seater, biplane jutting out the front—just like the poster—and the lamp-shade was a white-washed pale-yellow color with blue stripes at the bottom and multi-colored biplanes in various shapes and sizes all around the exterior. It really was perfect, it matched everything we picked out; even I could visualize it in his room now.

After finding the similar lamps on the shelf, we put a boxed one in our cart and continued our journey through the store, going to the clothing section next. We decided that we'd each choose two outfits for Harry today; we could buy more later. "Plus, there'll probably be a baby shower at some point," Bella pointed out, being the voice of reason.

With the cart now about three-fourths full of bedding, room decorations, and now clothes, we made our way to the diaper section. I was shocked by the sheer numbers of boxes on the shelves. They had at least four brands each of six or seven different sizes. "What size do we need?" Bella asked, looking as overwhelmed as I felt.

"Er, well, probably the smallest one," I said, trying to remember the approximate size of the last baby I'd delivered. "Babies are pretty small."

"Okay," she replied, pulling two boxes off the shelf. We continued walking to the end of the aisle, where we found some baby wipes and added those to the cart as well.

My phone started vibrating in my pocket then; I reached in and pulled it out. "It's my dad; he must be here with the truck," I told Bella before answering. After about a ten-second phone call that simply confirmed what I'd just told Bella, I hung up. "Are you happy with your—" I stopped suddenly as she shot me an irritated glare. "With _our _selections?"

"Thank you. And yes, I am. Are you?"

"Yeah. I like the airplane motif. It's a nice diversion from the norm; a lot of parents I deal with talk about their animal-themed nurseries. I like that we're doing Harrison's something out of the ordinary."

"Me, too." We'd been talking while we walked, and were at the checkout counter now. I handed the girl at the counter my card after she'd rung everything up and signed the credit card slip. A guy was waiting for us at the end of the line to help load up everything. My dad was parked right outside the door, and between the three of us, we had all of the furniture loaded up in no time.

Dinner at my parents' house progressed pretty much the same as every other week. The five of us ate, talked, and laughed, and when everything had been cleaned up, we all headed over to mine and Bella's house.

My dad, Jasper, and I were able to get everything moved in and the crib assembled in just under two hours. I called Bella into the room once we'd finished, as she was busy in the other room with my mom talking about colors and borders and wall paper as they pored over all the bedding and accessories we purchased. As she entered the room her eyes went wide with excitement, "Oh Edward, it's so beautiful, the rocking chair, the dresser, the changing table…" Then she turned and saw the crib all completed and I walked over to her and put my arm around her, pulling her gently against me when I saw the happy tears fill her eyes, and kissed the top of her head. "Edward, you were right, it's perfect." I felt an overwhelming urge to kiss her again after that so I did… on her beautiful mouth this time. By the time my parents left, the room was all set up, our visions for it matching closely and the room was nearly perfect.

x-x-x

Over the next two weeks, my plan became more and more concrete in my mind and Bella and my mom spent several days a week putting the finishing touches on the baby's room, agreeing to use me as their mostly-cheerful laborer; painting the walls, putting up a striped wallpaper on the lower half and a coordinating biplane border. I was thrilled that they were working together to decorate Harrison's room, as long as they agreed to allowing me to do the 'heavy lifting' so to speak, as I was not going to take any chances with Bella or my mother hurting themselves in anyway. Much to my relief, neither of them gave me too much trouble when I gave them my conditions.

We'd had an appointment with Dr. Snow, and he'd agreed with Dr. Forrest's recommendation. He'd told Bella that she should cut back at work if at all possible, and she'd taken his advice to heart. Her boss had been more than understanding—I think he was harboring some guilt over the abruptness of the Thanksgiving trip—and he had no problem giving her two days off a week. Bella had spent her off time completing her vision for the nursery, and one night in mid-December when I came home, I found her folding baby clothes and singing a song I'd never heard before. I stood silently by the door, watching and listening in awe.

"_It's the last Christmas,_

_The last Christmas,_

_The last Christmas,_

_Without you._

_They're choosing the colors,_

_Preparing your room,_

_For one day midsummer;_

_The Advent of you."_

It was the most beautiful song I'd ever heard. I couldn't help but wonder who the original artist was, but I thought that it didn't really matter. There was no way she could have done as beautiful a job singing it as Bella. She continued,

"_I feel your heart beating_

_Inside my own skin,_

_And I think of Mary_

_In Bethelehem._

_When darkness was shattered,_

_The dawn of God's grace,_

_And the journey'd begun,_

_To the first Easter day._

_On this, the last Christmas_

_The last Christmas_

_The last Christmas_

_The very last Christmas_

_Without you."_

I was floored. Between the lyrics of the song and Bella's beautiful voice singing it, all I could do was stand there in awe, taking it all in. There was nothing more I wanted in that moment than to sweep in there and give her the ring that had been burning a hole in my desk drawer for three months. _Stick to the plan, stick to the plan,_ I told myself over and over. I knew it would be worth it, if I could wait just one more week.

I crossed the room swiftly and stepped up behind Bella, wrapping my arms around her. She gasped, not realizing that I'd been there. "I'm sorry I scared you," I whispered into her ear.

"I didn't realize you were here," she murmured back. "I would've paid more attention to you if I had."

"No. I'm glad you didn't know. I loved hearing you sing. That song was beautiful."

"Thanks. I just heard it last Christmas for the first time, but it seems so appropriate now, you know?"

"I do, yeah. The words are perfect."

"Can you believe we'll have a _baby _before Easter?"

"It is hard to wrap my mind around. But he's real, and healthy, and in just a few more months, we'll get to hold him in our arms."

"I'm nervous and excited at the same time," she confided.

"I know exactly how you feel." My fingers trailed over her abdomen. I was rewarded with a kick from Harry, and I smiled. It was actually kind of hard for me to believe that we had three months left before he'd be born. I was glad to have the time with just the two of us, but I was also anxious to see this little person that we'd created together.

We spent the rest of the evening relaxing, just like we would on any other evening. It was comfortable and nice. I liked the familiarity we had together; some people might think things had moved too fast for us, and maybe they were right. I wasn't prepared to either concede that point or argue it. The one thing I was willing to admit was that Bella and I were far from your traditional couple. _Non-traditional. _The idea that came with that thought was beyond anything I'd ever imagined. I filed it away for future reference; I couldn't do anything with it just yet. I needed to talk to my mom. After her interrogation of me over the phone when Bella had been in the hospital, I was sure that she'd be willing to help me, but I had to be sure. There was no way I'd be able to pull this off on my own.

x-x-x

Bella

I couldn't understand why Edward hadn't proposed yet. We'd gone over and over my past insecurities regarding becoming engaged again, and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was ready to marry Edward. And frankly, I felt like we were running out of time, if we wanted to do it before Harrison was born. It wasn't like I didn't know that people do this all the time… have children out of wedlock; I just never wanted that for me and it wasn't like Edward and I were uncertain about each other. We wanted the same things out of life and we had talked about one day getting married, so I was certain that he wanted this as much as I did. Harrison was due in less than three months, and I was anxious. The one thing I did _not_ want was to still be technically single when he was born. I wanted to be legally tied to Edward before the birth of our son, if not married, then at least engaged.

So, when the twentieth of December rolled around and he _still _hadn't asked me, I decided to stop waiting for him to pop the question and take matters into my own hands. Thanks to 'Bella's Thanksgiving Collapse,' I had more free time than ever. I wasn't feeling overly stressed necessarily, and even though my collapse had had nothing to do with work and everything to do with a woman I never planned on seeing again as long as I lived, Dr. Snow still told me to cut down to part time. Jacob had been more than gracious regarding that. Because of his and his wife's difficulty in conceiving, he was unusually forgiving of my inability to perform the full time responsibilities of the job he'd hired me to do, citing that he wanted me to take care of me and Harry first and he would reassign some of my workload to make that happen.

It was cold as I walked through downtown Stone Park. So far, the snow had held off, and for that I was grateful; the lack of ice would mean that my parents and Alice would be safely arriving tonight. Edward was picking them up from the airport after he got off work tonight. While I was excited to see them, I was on a mission today. I needed a gift for Edward, something that I could have personalized and back in my hot little hands before Christmas. I wished I had more time, but I'd honestly been expecting him to propose before now, and since he hadn't, I was ready to do things my way.

I had five days, and I hoped that would be enough time to get a personalized item back. The biggest problem I had was that I wasn't entirely sure what I even wanted to get for him yet. I had a couple of different ideas; a plaque, a paperweight, a watch and some other things like that, but none of those seemed quite right, so I was hoping I would know _it_ when I saw it. I really didn't want to have to settle for anything less than the perfect item; whatever that wound up being, I knew one thing for sure: I wanted the words _Marry me, Edward _printed on it.

Not knowing quite what I was looking for made it a little trickier, but after an hour or so of window shopping, I resigned myself that I probably wouldn't find anything suitable in our small town. I walked home and climbed into my truck to make the trek to Chicago. I parked in my favorite downtown shopping area, and browsed the storefronts there. After what felt like ages, I finally found what I'd been looking for displayed in a window of one of the gift stores. I walked into the shop and approached the woman at the counter. I was in luck; the clock set in glass was in fact able to be personalized, and they did all engraving on the premises, so she promised me that I'd be able to pick it up the next day. I had the next three weeks off, partially thanks to doctor's orders and partially for the holiday, so I promised to come back and pick up the gift the following afternoon.

Edward wasn't so lucky; people needed doctors regardless of what day of the year it was, and he had to work every day, including Christmas Eve. Thankfully he didn't work in the actual hospital; I'd gotten a call from Kim earlier in the week, and she was upset because Jared ended up having to work on Christmas Day. I invited her to join us at Esme and Carlisle's so that she wouldn't be alone. Plus, with my parents and Alice in town, I really wanted her to meet them.

My mom and Dad spent the afternoon with Edward's parents while I took Alice with me to pick up the clock from the store. The printing on the glass turned out perfectly; it was exactly what I'd imagined. When Alice looked at it, her eyes popped. "You're asking him to marry you?" she gasped.

"Well, I want to be with him," I said, shrugging, "And he hasn't asked me yet. I'm ready to take this step with him, and he doesn't seem to be getting the hint. Besides, look at me, Alice." I gestured my protruding belly. "We should have been married before _this _happened. Not that I regret anything that's happened in my life, because I don't, and not to say I'm doing this just because I'm pregnant—you know that's not the reason—I'm just ready; and this is what I want and I'm convinced it's what he wants too, because we've talked about it. You know, Alice, I really believe he just hasn't asked me yet because of what happened last time. He's afraid to ask me too soon or something. Anyway, it's time that I remove the fear, _his_ fear, and just ask the question that I've been longing to hear for so long. Now, if only I wasn't so anxious about it; and not because I think he'll say no, either, I just am."

"Oh Bella, you have nothing to worry about, because of course he'll say yes, and he'll be blown away, too, and not just by the fact that you asked him but because you'll be telling him you want to be his wife and that you want him to be your husband. There is no doubt, that man is crazy about you. I can't believe I am going to be there to watch you two get engaged," she gushed. "It is going to be so exciting I can't wait. I just never thought you'd be the type of girl to propose to a guy, that's all."

"Me, neither," I admitted. That was the understatement of the year as far as I was concerned. I'd never been so forward with anything in my life. In fact, I was a nervous wreck about this gift, truth be told. At the same time, though, I knew that it was exactly what I wanted to give him. That assurance was enough to help me keep my resolve.

Tuesday night, Jasper came over to spend the rest of the week at our house. Edward told me about his insistence that he wanted to be with Alice the entire time she was here, but that he (Edward) thought that I wouldn't want Alice staying in our old apartment so long as James still worked in the building. He'd been absolutely right. I'd have been worried sick every minute she was there and would have been devastated if anything happened to Alice.

With a full house—Alice and Jasper, my mom and dad, and Edward and me—the house felt vibrant and alive. I could imagine Edward's grandparents living here and a younger Esme and Carlisle bringing their two young sons over to visit. I loved every minute of playing hostess in my roomy house, and the week passed quickly. For the first time since we'd moved in, I felt truly at home living in this big house; the sounds of our family and the Christmas decorations and holiday baking filled me with thoughts of the future Christmases we will hopefully have here.

Before I knew it, it was Christmas Eve, and Edward was arriving home from work. He looked absolutely exhausted; I was glad I had the dinner for six already prepared. We ate and laughed, sharing our favorite Christmas memories. When it was my turn, I chose to share my hope for the future instead. "I'm so blessed to have all of you in my life; I can't imagine living without a single one of you." I looked up at Edward. "Especially you." I giggled and he smiled his trademark crooked grin at me. "So, instead of looking back at past Christmases tonight, I want to look forward to the next five or ten or twenty. I look forward to spending each one with all of you. And with Esme and Carlisle, of course, even though they couldn't make it here tonight." I lifted my glass and said, "To the future."

The other five—my mother and Alice looking rather emotional at my little speech—mimicked my actions. "To the future," they all murmured.

We awoke early the next morning, Christmas Day, and as soon as we had showered and dressed, we were ready to go to Esme and Carlisle's for the day. We all brought our gifts with us, with the understanding that we were going to exchange them later in the morning with everyone after breakfast. Edward had been quite adamant about that, which I found a little odd, but I didn't question him. I packed up everything I'd purchased for everyone, including the _Marry me_ clock, and loaded them into the Volvo. I called Kim as we were leaving to confirm that she'd be joining us, as it was fine with Esme when I had asked her if Kim could come to her house—as I was sure it would be—and Kim assured me that she would be on her way.

Esme had breakfast all ready when we arrived, and everyone ate and chatted happily. After we'd all had our fill, Carlisle spoke up. "Is everyone ready to open gifts?" He had a boyish excitement to his features, almost like he was hiding a secret or something. I thought he looked right at me when he asked his question, but I had to have imagined that; I was sure he had just been looking around the room, making eye contact with everyone like any good public speaker, and I just happened to notice when he looked at me. _Yeah, that __had__ to be it. __Surely, he can't know about my gift for Edward, could he?_

The entire room erupted in a chorus of affirmations, and we moved into the living room where the tree was. "Edward, why don't you go first," Esme suggested. He nodded, looking just slightly nervous, and grabbed my hand as he approached the tree. He didn't choose one of the gifts from underneath, though. My eyes darted around the room nervously as everyone else—with looks of almost knowing expectation on their faces—piled onto the sofas, watching us.

"Isabella," Edward started speaking, drawing my attention back to him. He was gazing intently at my face, and I met his eyes. All traces of nervousness from a moment before were gone, and all that I could read in them now was… adoration. There was no other way to describe it. My heart was beating in my chest, and I couldn't help but wonder if the other people in the room could hear it. I couldn't tear my eyes away from Edward to look at their expressions. He continued. "I know our relationship has been far from conventional from the very beginning. I remember your very first letter to me, and you weren't happy about the pen pals assignment." He smirked at the memory. "Well, to be perfectly honest, I wasn't that happy about it, either. That is, until I got your letter. I was enthralled with you from the very first _Dear Pen Pal_ you ever wrote to me. Now, I don't feel the need to go over our entire history; you've lived it just as much as I have. So instead, I'm going to take a cue from your Christmas toast last night. Instead of looking to the past, I want to look to the future. I want to spend more than just Christmases with you, though. I want to spend my entire life, every day, as long as I live, with you." He dropped to one knee and I couldn't stop my eyes from bugging out just a bit. My breath caught in my throat and tears of happiness welled up in my eyes. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, square box and opened the top. Inside was the most stunning ring I could have imagined, even more beautiful than a traditional diamond. "This ring represents everything I want in my relationship with you. It's an eternity ring, Bella, and that's what I want: an eternity with you. Will you marry me?"

**So, I did it! I made the Monday deadline, even though I didn't finish writing this chapter until Friday night! Whew! Extra special thanks to Rory this week for being so diligent and getting the pre-read and suggestions done in only 2 days :).**

**Thank you for reading. I look forward to your reviews, and like always, I'll reward you with a teaser from the next chapter if you leave me some love :).**

**Remember to go donate to the Fandom Against Domestic Violence fundraiser starting on the 1st of February. It's a great cause, and your donation could help save a young man or woman from a dangerous situation. Please go donate. In addition to knowing that you've helped someone, you'll get an amazing compilation of stories from a huge list of great authors (including one from me and one from my good friend SaritaDreaming amongst others). The link for that is on my profile.**

**There are also links for the song Bella was singing, the baby's room, and the glass clock on my profile, if you're interested in seeing any of those.**

**Okay, I think that's all I want to say this week… See you next Monday!**


	36. Surprise!

**A/N: I don't own _Twilight. _**

**Special thanks to my friends Gerri (super beta) and Rory (the best pre-reader I could hope for). Without them, this story wouldn't be what it is today :).**

**And of course, thanks to you for reading.**

**As you'll see, the teaser is kind of broken up now beyond what it was when I sent to you faithful reviewers :). That all happened in the editing room, and this chapter went through a _lot_ of editing! Not to mention a couple of complete rewrites… I'm sure you'll forgive me though.**

**CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX: SURPRISE!**

**Bella**

I knew that I should answer him verbally, but I wanted to give him more than just a simple 'yes.' I wanted him to see just how big a yes my answer was. I reached down and held his hands in mine, pulling him back to his feet. "Before I answer you, I want you to open the gift I got for you. Don't worry, Edward; you'll see we're on the same page. I promise."

The look on his face was nothing short of bewilderment. I suspected he'd been expecting an immediate 'yes,' and I wanted to give him that, but this way was going to be even more special for him… I hoped. As I stepped away from him, I chanced a glance around the room. Everyone was sitting together as couples; Esme and Carlisle, my mom and dad, Alice and Jasper, and Kim, unfortunately alone.

"Bella, what's going on here?" my dad asked in a clipped voice.

"Oh, have a little faith everyone. Dad, you'll understand in a minute." I was beginning to question my sanity for making Edward wait and obviously so was my father. Alice was the only one who knew my plan, and hers was the only face in the room that didn't resemble Edward's. She looked as giddy as I felt nervous. Although, with Edward standing there, still holding the ring box, I shouldn't have been nervous anymore. But I was. I was seriously second-guessing my decision to have not shouted my 'yes' from the rooftop, too. _I should've said the word, and then given him the clock afterwards. _It was too late for that now, though. I'd already gone too far with my delay to go back now.

I knelt down next to the tree and shuffled boxes around until I found the one I was looking for. I carefully rose back up to my feet, wrapped box in hand, and handed it to him. The expression on his face hadn't changed one bit, and I felt a little bad about making him wait, but I was pretty sure he'd forgive me after he saw the gift inside the box. I sincerely hoped so, anyway. He reluctantly closed the ring box and shoved it back in his pocket, and I came even closer than before to caving at the expression on his face. It was something along the lines of _What's going on here? _I wanted desperately to reach my hand into his pocket and pull the ring box back out, but this felt important to me; I wanted to give him the clock _as _my answer. The knowledge of what was inscribed on the glass was enough for me to hold my determination. "Please, open your present," I murmured. I took his hand and led him over to the plush recliner and pushed him down into it, then sank to the floor at his feet, watching him expectantly. The room was so quiet that I was sure you could've heard a pin drop, even though the floor was covered with plush, white carpet. No one was making a sound, not even breathing. Edward still hadn't made a move to unwrap the box; he was just sitting there in some sort of stunned silence. I implored him again. "Please. I promise you, it'll be okay."

He swallowed and nodded, blinked a few times, and finally turned his attention to the red paper on the box. He found a spot on the top where the paper was overlapped and taped, and slid one finger underneath, popping it loose. With the first step done, he seemed to gain some sort of resolve, and he quickly removed the paper from the rest of the box, depositing it on the floor next to the chair. He lifted the box up to eye level; there was a picture of the clock that was inside on the outside of the box. "What is this?" he asked quietly.

"Open the box," I instructed him, a small smile tugging on my lips.

He followed my direction, and when he pulled the clock out of the box and read the inscription on it, I heard his breath hitch. He blinked a few more times—almost as if he was holding in tears—and looked directly into my eyes. "Really, Bella?" He gave me his crooked smile, his eyes aglow.

I nodded. I wasn't as good at hiding my tears as he was, and they were flowing freely down my face. He rose again from the recliner and passed the clock to his mother, who was sitting on the loveseat next to his father. He made no move to retrieve the ring box from his pocket again. The expression on Esme's face turned from worry to relief to joy in a split second. She gasped and passed the clock to Carlisle. It made its way around the room, and by the time it had gotten back to Edward and me, everyone was beaming at us.

"That's my girl, although you had me confused there for a moment," my dad let out a little chuckle. My mom grabbed his hand then and shushed him, like she was in a movie theater and didn't want any distractions from the show.

Alice even snuck me a thumbs up sign when no one else was looking. I smiled and blushed. I could see she had her camera in her hand, ready to shoot.

"So, that's a yes, then?" Edward asked me.

"Yes," I replied. Edward kissed me softly on my lips; I heard Alice snap a few pictures, everyone's sighs of relief, and an outpouring of laughter and congratulations. I looked around and smiled at everyone and then turned back to look at Edward because these moments were ours in spite of the happy onlookers. I wanted to make sure he understood my actions today. "I'm sorry to have made you wait for my answer like that, but I thought there was no better way to show you how much I want to be your wife then for you to see my written words. You see, I've been waiting for weeks for you to ask; and I believed you wanted to, but then I was beginning to think you weren't going to, at least not anytime soon."

"So we've been planning this moment independently of each other for weeks, then, is that right?"

"Weeks? No, I only thought of this about five days ago. I kept thinking you were going to ask, but as time ticked by, I was frankly a little afraid that we were never going to take this step."

"Oh, Bella," he sighed, cupping my face in his hands and rubbing his thumbs across my cheekbones. "I've wanted this for so long. I've had your ring since your birthday."

"My birthday, really?"

"Yes, love, I've just been afraid. Not of making the commitment, but of spooking you."

"Stop," I interrupted him. "Look, I know that things didn't work out so well the last time I rushed things, but I was wrong then. I'm not wrong this time. The feelings I have for you far outweigh anything I've ever felt for anyone else. Ever. Now, are you actually going to give me that ring now or what?" I smirked.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "I was so caught up in the moment that I forgot. I'm sorry." He reached into his pocket and brought out the tiny jewelry box, and this time when he opened it, he pulled the ring from its velvet bed and took my left hand in his. "Bella, just to be absolutely clear, we're getting married, then?"

"Yes, Edward, I believe we are."

Before he put it on my finger, he tipped it so that I could see inside the band. "I had it engraved; it seemed appropriate with the written word being the cornerstone of our relationship." I peered inside the band and read, _You are my forever._

Tears flooded my eyes as he slipped the ring onto my third finger; it fit perfectly. "It's so beautiful Edward, I absolutely love it and love you. And I love that you were so worried about asking me… and did it anyway."

My eyes flicked back and forth between my hand and Edward's face until we were interrupted by the clearing of a throat from one of the others in the room. Jasper's voice rang through the room. "So, we're all thrilled for you guys, but are you quite done?" There was a teasing quality to his tone; Edward reached for my hands to help me up from my position on the floor and turned me around. I didn't even have a chance to step away when I was pulled by my hips onto Edward's lap. I giggled like a schoolgirl at the abruptness of the action as Alice snapped another picture.

"Oh, we'll never be done," Edward answered his brother, who laughed out loud at that. "But feel free to exchange gifts amongst yourselves. Don't mind us." He took my chin in one of his hands and turned my face toward his, pulling me in for another kiss. My lips took on a life of their own, moving against his; my hands wound themselves into his hair, and I forgot where I was. Until Edward whispered against my mouth. "Don't forget that we're not alone."

I blushed and pulled away, embarrassed at having nearly lost control in a room full of people. "Sorry," I mumbled.

"Don't be sorry," he said, and then dropped his voice to a whisper that only I could hear. "We'll celebrate properly at home later."

I smiled shyly, already looking forward to that. I forced myself to focus on the here and now, though. It was Christmas, and I was in a place I loved with all the people in my life that I knew I couldn't live without. Every single one of them was special to me, and I didn't want to get so caught up in my current life events that I neglected them today. So I kissed Edward once more—chastely this time—and then turned in his lap to face the room.

Carlisle, ever the gracious host, passed out the gifts and when they'd all been opened, everyone offered their thanks to everyone else. Alice and Jasper particularly held my attention; they'd been a couple only as long as Edward and I, but their situation was so very different. The way they interacted was so… comfortable, it was hard for me to fathom that they'd known each other such a short amount of time.

Esme stood then, and excused herself to the kitchen to begin preparing for Christmas dinner. I wanted to follow her and talk to her about the possibility of using her gazebo for the wedding, but after the hard time I'd given Edward for agreeing with everything I suggested rather than being a part of the decision making process in the baby store the other week, I wasn't about to do one iota of wedding planning or preparations without talking to him first.

Everyone was chit-chatting all around me, but I was having a hard time focusing on anything anyone was saying. My mind was going a thousand miles a minute, thinking about all the wedding possibilities. Valentine's Day, or maybe early March. I wondered if it would be warm enough for an outdoor event by either of those days. _Probably not. _I started thinking about possible color themes, my favorite flowers, bridesmaids. I'd all but made a few decisions, or at least narrowed down a list of possibilities when Edward's voice brought me out of my reverie. "Hey, love, as much as I love having you sit right where you are," he kissed me softly on my forehead, "I'm going to go see if my mom needs any help with dinner. Can I get you anything while I'm up?"

"No, thank you. I'm fine, but I'll come with you," I told him, smiling and rising from his lap so we could make our way to the kitchen.

"No, honey, just relax, enjoy some time with everyone and I'll come get you if I need another pair of hands."

"Alright, if you're sure?" I sat back down in the recliner.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'll be back soon. I love you, my fiancée."

"Love you, too." I smiled and blushed at his use of the word fiancée. _I guess I'll have to get used to that. _

As soon as Edward disappeared through the swinging door to the kitchen, Alice came practically running up toward me. "I've been waiting all morning to get a glimpse of your ring!" She grabbed my left hand and splayed my fingers out in front of her, examining the ring. "Oh my gosh, it's so… different." I couldn't quite read the tone in her voice. Alice was a very traditional girl, especially in regards to jewelry, and I suspected that she would have preferred a diamond solitaire. I loved my sapphire and diamond ring, though. I loved everything that it represented; first and foremost that he picked it out and being that Edward's favorite color was blue. But then the words he'd said during his proposal, something about it being…what? _An eternity ring. _I wondered what exactly that meant; I'd have to ask him later.

"I think it's perfect," I told her.

"It is, I agree. Blue's always been a great color on you, Bella. I hope you didn't take my 'different' comment to mean that I didn't like it. I do, very much. I just meant that I haven't seen one like it before. It really is perfect."

"Thank you," I told her.

"Well, come here, come here," my mother said from across the room. "I still haven't seen it yet, either."

I spent the next ten minutes having my hand ogled by everyone in the room, until finally, we all just relaxed into comfortable conversation about everything and nothing at all.

I found it difficult to focus on what any of them were talking about, though; against my better judgment, my brain found its way to thoughts of calla lilies versus carnations, roses or orchids…

x-x-x

Edward

"Mom?" She jumped slightly at the sound of my voice; fortunately she hadn't been near the hot stove, she was just reaching into one of the lower-down cupboards. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to startle you."

"That's okay, Edward. What are you doing in here? Help yourself to whatever you need; unless you came to offer me some help, but really that's not necessary. I've got everything pretty much under control. Besides, wouldn't you rather be out spending Christmas with Bella and everyone else?"

"Actually, Ma, I wanted to go over an idea I had with you. Do you have time to talk?"

"If you'll finish chopping the potatoes for me, I'll work on the dressing, and we can talk to your heart's content." She smiled at me.

"Deal." I walked over to the sink and turned on the water to start rinsing. "So, I just had this idea not even an hour ago, and I haven't worked out any of the details yet, so I'm a little nervous even bringing it up," I started. My mother looked puzzled, and for some reason, that made me lose my nerve. I sighed softly and traded the sink water for a cutting board and knife.

By the time I'd peeled and chopped half of the potatoes, I was no closer to knowing how this nugget of an idea of mine would ever come to fruition. I'd very nearly given up on the whole prospect when my mom spoke up. "I'm not sure it's fair of me to make you cut up those potatoes if we don't talk. That was the deal, as I recall. I'd talk to you if you helped." I knew she was teasing me a bit now, and it made me smile.

"I know. I'm just really second-guessing what I came in here to talk to you about. It's a huge undertaking I'm thinking of, and I just don't know if it's reasonable or not."

"Well, why don't you tell me, and I'll let you know what I think."

I nodded and began to speak. "Okay, I know this is crazy, but just stick with me for a few minutes, let me get the idea out there, and then you can ask all the questions you want, okay?" She nodded her head in silent assent of my request. "Okay, Bella knew that I was going to propose, she just didn't know when. And, well, you were out there; that was far from perfect."

"Well, I wouldn't go that far—"

I cut her off. "It just wasn't what I'd pictured, that's all. I want her to know that despite the delay in my popping the question, I want nothing more than to be with her. I kept her waiting for her proposal for far too long, so I don't want to keep her waiting for her dream wedding, too. And I know we don't have very much time left before our baby is born, and I think it is just as important to Bella as it is to me to get married before then. And another thing, her parents both work full-time, as you know and so does Alice, which means they don't have unlimited free time to take trips to Chicago whenever they want, not to mention the expense of the plane tickets, well let's just say, it would be difficult for them to have to make another trip to Chicago sometime in the next three months. So, I was thinking… they're already here… right now, so I want to get married before Charlie, Renee, and Alice go home."

"But Edward, they're leaving on the third; that's only ten days from now."

"I know." My mother's brow furrowed at my words, and I was convinced she was going to tell me to go jump in Lake Michigan. I'd deserve that reaction, too. What I was suggesting was crazy.

"Do you have a specific date in mind?" she asked instead.

"New Year's Eve," I told her. "And there's one more thing. I want the entire thing to be a surprise for Bella."

"Oh my… that's going to be difficult," she mused, causing my heart to sink. "But between the seven of us, I'm sure we can pull it off—as long as you don't want anything too outlandish." She gave me her own version of my crooked grin. _I guess that's where I got it from._

"Thanks, Mom, I knew I could count on you to tell it to me straight. Now you were saying the seven of us, who specifically?" I questioned. My chest lifted again, and I was feeling a sense of enthusiasm for the first time since this insane idea had entered my mind.

"Well, all of us; your father and me, Charlie and Renee, Alice and Jasper, and you. No one's working this week because of the holidays. Well, your father might have to spend a few hours at the hospital, but no full days that I'm aware of. The only trick is going to be keeping Bella occupied without tipping her off that something's afoot. Especially since you're going to need to find out the kinds of things she wants and make sure you offer your opinion too, even if you really don't have one, because it will show you care. There are things she is going to want a say on like the venue, flowers, decorations, the food, wedding vows, well lots of things really, but there are things you can put your two cents worth in, too, like your tux and the tux for the fathers and for your best man or men—that is if you decide to have them in your bridal party. Bella will have to decide on whether she wants bridesmaids and what they will be wearing too. Oh and wedding bands Edward, you'll have to purchase matching wedding bands… something that will go with the engagement ring you bought Bella. Oh, there are so many things we'll have to discuss it more later. The bride is normally pretty heavily involved in wedding preparations. Are you really sure you want to leave her out of the plans?"

"I don't want to leave her out, no, but she has done so much to be with me and I want to do this for her. I think this would be an amazing surprise, a beautiful gift, one that I know she wants as much as I do. Do you not think we should do this?"

"No, I think it's a wonderful idea. Really, Edward, I can't imagine a more romantic gesture. Your father taught you well." She smiled at me, and I could have sworn I felt the tips of my ears heat. "You must remember, however, that I'm not going to do all the work for you. This is going to be a team effort, with you in the driver's seat. It's going to be difficult, but well worth it, I'm sure."

"Yes, it will, if we can pull it off. "

"Do you have any ideas as to what she wants yet?"

"Honestly? Not really. We've talked about the fact that we want to get married for weeks now, well actually, ever since the weekend we went away together to that spa, remember? But we've never talked about the actual wedding. I know she likes purple, does that matter?"

"It's a start," my mom said, smirking at me. "I can work with purple. If that's all you know, though, you've got your work cut out for you."

"I know, it's just I really want to do this for her. Could you help me come up with the list of what I need to do…" I trailed off.

"What _we_ need to do."

"Right, what we need to do. Then we can assign jobs to each of us and get to work right away. Ma, I sure hope I don't screw this up."

"Well, Son, we won't let that happen. I'm glad you realize, though, that there is a lot to do, but first things first. We can't come up with much of a list until you've talked to Bella, because if you want to make this her dream wedding, you have to know what her dream wedding looks like."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense." I was suddenly feeling incredibly overwhelmed at the prospect of getting everything done in a week when I didn't even know what everything was.

"Don't worry, Edward. We'll make it happen. And you know, Son, there's no time like the present to get started. Let's fill the others in on what you're planning as soon as possible… sometime tonight. And you and I can get started gathering the information we need from Bella during dinner. You know, 'many hands make light work,' Edward."

"Yes, I may have heard that sometime before… and I think you may be on to something." I smirked as a plan began to creep into my consciousness.

"Yes, well, now that you have proposed, there is no reason why we can't talk about the upcoming event. We can ask Bella about what she would like… we just have to steer her away from setting an actual date right now."

"Right, because I don't want to mislead her, _or_ ruin the surprise, so maybe we could make some _tentative_ suggestions like, saying sometime before March, but then I could suggest that we don't set an actual date until this hectic Christmas-week is over, like not until after New Year's."

"That's great; I think that will work. Oh, Son, I do think this is going to be a fun week."

"Fun?" A sardonic chuckle left my mouth. "I don't know about that. I sure hope so, but regardless, thanks, Mom for agreeing to do this with me."

"You're very welcome." Just as I smiled back at my mother a memory from the night before Bella's birthday suddenly flashed into my mind. In this recollection, I had just turned to walk away, headed back in the direction of the house and left my mom and Bella together out in the gazebo in the backyard, and I heard Bella's voice drifting after me. _It's the perfect place for a small, intimate gathering. _

"Oh my God, that's it!" I exclaimed.

"What's it? What are you talking about Edward?"

"The gazebo. That's where she wants to get married."

"The gazebo?" my mom queried.

"Yeah. Your gazebo out back. And I'm pretty sure she wants to keep it small, our wedding, I mean, not too many guests this time. I mean, it would be perfect for the ceremony. We could have the reception in the house, and say our vows in the gazebo. We would need to rent space heaters and bundle up in long coats, but so what? Bella would have our wedding where she wants it… in your gazebo. What do you think?"

"Well, it's not really my decision to make. But I'd be flattered if you chose my gazebo for the venue. It's even white."

"I'm sure that's what'd make Bella happy, and you know what, the more I think about it… that's where I would like Bella and I to get married, too," I replied confidently.

"Okay, then, the two major things are decided; the date and the location. And we'll gather the rest of the details we need from your beautiful fiancée."

"That's going to be the hard part, isn't it?" I asked.

"No, now, we've already discussed this; it will be easier than you think."

We worked out the few details that didn't matter as much; who of the seven we thought would be best at what job, for example. I was even fairly confident in who Bella would choose as her bridesmaids (Alice and Kim), and I definitely knew who I wanted as my groomsmen—their male counterparts, Jasper and Jared. First thing tomorrow Mom was going to speak to our minister and his wife, Reverend Liam McAlister and Mrs. Siobhan McAlister, to see if they were available to join us on New Year's Eve. Even though I knew we could probably find another minister if we had to, it would be so wonderful if Reverend McAlister could marry us because he'd known our family since Jasper and I were kids; he even presided over Grandpa's funeral. So mom was going to take care of that and I decided I would take the men out to get fitted for our monkey suits and they could help me pick up the space heaters, too, while we were at it. First thing Monday morning, I'd go see my boss, Dr. Snow, and Bella's boss, Jacob Black, and tell them the situation, invite them and their spouses to our wedding, and ask for a week off from work from each of them so Bella and I could have our honeymoon. _Which reminds me, I'm going to have to figure that out, too, and book it pronto. _I'd worry about that one in a few days.

So on Monday, after a trip to see our bosses, I made plans to return to _Aro's Jewelers _to purchase the matching platinum wedding bands that would look perfect with Bella's eternity ring. I still remember Aro pointing them out to me when I went to pick up Bella's ring, suggesting that they would work well together. I'd told him at the time that I would keep them in mind for when I needed to take him up on his suggestion. Then I would be off to the courthouse to pick up the marriage license, which we wouldn't be able to actually sign until after the ceremony, but it would be one more thing off my mind. My mom said the other things that really can't wait are lining up the caterers which means deciding on the menu, ordering the flowers, the ladies' attire and the cake; all of which we need Bella's input on, and the sooner the better.

Before my mother sent me to inform everyone that it was only fifteen minutes until dinner would be served in the dining room, we'd put the complete list of things that we'd need to find out from Bella and everything else we needed to arrange, in writing. "You should rely heavily on Alice, too," my mom suggested. "I've only just met her, but she seems like the exact right person to help figure some of these things out. In fact," her voice turned thoughtful, "between Alice and Renee, I wonder if you couldn't knock a few of these questions off the list without needing to ask Bella at all." That idea had some merit. Not that I was looking for the easy way out, but I knew that even without the job of asking the questions, I was in for a busy week. "Don't forget to ask for help, Edward. That's going to be vital during this whole process. I know you can be a very headstrong, independent man, but I just don't see this coming together the way you want it to unless you let the rest of us help you."

I knew she was right, on both counts. I didn't particularly enjoy asking for help, but I didn't see any way of pulling it all together on my own, either. "I'll remember that, Mom. In fact, I'm going to start after dinner; I'm going to arrange a game of pool downstairs for the guys and when I have them down there I'm going to tell them the plan and maybe we can come up with some ideas for getting some of these things done without Bella getting suspicious of our covert operations."

"Okay Edward, and when you are doing that I'll try to spend some alone time with Alice and Renee… as long as I can get them away without drawing attention to the fact from Bella. You never know; an opportunity might present itself…"

"Mom, thank you again for being willing to entertain the idea."

"Oh, Edward, of course." I pulled her in for a hug.

"So, we're decided then. We're really going to do this?"

"We are decided. We're really going to do this. We're having a surprise wedding here in a week!"

**A/N: Thanks for all your support. I truly appreciate everyone who takes the time to read my story! If you review, I'll send you a teaser of the next chapter :).**

**There's a link to the gazebo picture on my profile if you're interested in seeing that.**

**And before you mention it, yes, I know that just signing the wedding certificate the "day of" isn't realistic, but for the sake of fiction, I'm going to run with that anyway. So keep that in mind, okay? Thanks.**

**And, there are a few things I want to remind you of again. You're probably sick of hearing them, but I'm going to say them anyway. Check out my collab story, Sexual Healing, with my friend Caz. Also, we've started a blog for the story with teasers, our bios, and character bios and interviews coming soon. Last but certainly not least, if you haven't had a chance to donate to the FADV and you're able, please go do that right away! Links for all of these things can be found on my profile.**


	37. Operation: Surprise Wedding

A/N: I don't own _Twilight. _

Special thanks to my friends Gerri (super beta) and Rory (the best pre-reader I could hope for). Without them, this story wouldn't be what it is today :).

And of course, thanks to you for reading.

Sorry that I'm a day late this week. Last week was a bit off, all week long, so I didn't get it done in time. Your reward: this chapter's almost double my normal length!

This is a three-part chapter, which I don't really like doing, but there was really no way around it. The only other option was to split this into two chapters, and I didn't really want to do that, either, so we've got a three-parter :). Enjoy!

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN: OPERATION: SURPRISE WEDDING 

Edward

I managed to pull Alice aside before we all sat down for dinner and whispered to her my idea. She was beyond excited, just like I suspected Alice would be. I didn't know her as well as Bella or my brother did, but I did get to see her enough during Bella's last attempt at a wedding to recognize that the girl liked to celebrate. I hoped she liked to _plan _celebrations as much as she liked to attend them, because my mother was right; there was no way I could pull this off on my own.

She seemed skeptical at first, until I let her in on all the details. Then she was practically squealing and jumping up and down in glee. I'd never seen anything quite like it, and I started to panic just a little. "Hey, you need to calm down. This is supposed to be a surprise for Bella, remember? If she comes in here to investigate all the noise, then I'm sunk."

"Sorry," she said in an exaggerated whisper. "But this is about the sweetest thing I've ever heard in my entire life. How are you going to manage to plan an entire wedding without the bride?"

"Well, that's the main reason I'm talking to you right now, actually. I'm going to need a lot of help, as you can imagine. And since you're her best friend, I'm going to have to rely on you pretty heavily, I think. Can you help me get out of her the kinds of things she wants? I figure that we can pretty much talk to her about everything; we just need to prevent her from getting too excited about a specific date."

"Ooh, so we get to talk wedding plans over dinner?" Her voice was nothing short of… sheer delight. I wasn't sure that 'delight' quite covered it, actually, but it was the best word I could come up with to describe Alice. I was just glad she'd calmed down enough to talk like a rational human being and not give anything away.

"Yes, I would like to try to direct the conversation that way, if possible," I told her. "At the same time, though, we've got to be careful not to tip Bella off. And remember, only three of us are in on the plan just yet. You, me, and my mom. I'm going to tell the guys tonight, but they'll be just as clueless about the surprise as Bella is, for now."

"Oh, that won't matter," Alice assured me. "They're guys. And they're not nearly as sweet and romantic as you."

"Thanks," I muttered, not entirely sure what to do with that comment. "So, er, will you help me, then?" I needed to refocus the conversation. Alice had thrown me off with her romantic comment.

"Of course I'll help you," she replied. "It will be fun."

With my two main advocates on my side now, I was feeling a bit more confident. "Great. All that needs to happen right now is to—"

"Just leave it to me," she said, cutting me off.

My mom joined Alice and me then. We'd all been in the kitchen, but I'd been talking to Alice while my mom put the final touches on Christmas dinner. "Are we ready to start Operation: Surprise Wedding?" she asked, smirking slightly at her code name for the wedding.

I couldn't help but chuckle slightly back at her; I think I even rolled my eyes at her a bit. "Operation: Surprise Wedding?"

"What? I can't have a little fun, too?" My mother actually pushed my shoulder in mock frustration.

"Of course you can," I replied. "I just didn't really expect to have a code name for my wedding, that's all."

"Well, I never expected you to need a code name for your wedding," she countered. "I've never heard of such a thing, to be perfectly honest. If you don't like my fun little phrase, though, I won't use it."

"I'm really just teasing you, Mom. I actually do kind of like the phrase."

She beamed at me. "Good. Operation: Surprise Wedding it is then, or no, wait; how about O.S.W.? That sounds even better." She laughed. "Never mind, now go gather the rest of our family for dinner; we've got some details to get out of your lovely fiancée."

I smiled at that, my mother calling Bella my fiancée. I loved the sound of it. I'd called Bella that myself not very long ago, but hearing it come from my mom's mouth was somehow even sweeter to me. Five minutes later, we were all seated around the huge dining room table in my parents' formal dining room. When everyone's plates had been filled and conversation was still fairly slow, I shot a pointed glance toward Alice, and another toward my mom. I wasn't sure whether or not I should be the one to start the conversation. I kind of suspected that I probably shouldn't; I wanted her to know that I was anxious to claim her as _mine _but at the same time, I didn't want to make it obvious just how quickly I planned for things to happen. Fortunately, Alice got the hint and took the lead.

"So, Bella, when are we going wedding dress shopping?"

"What? Alice, I know you love shopping, and that's frankly why you chose the job that you did, but honestly, I can't buy a dress before you leave. We haven't even set a date yet. I mean, we just got engaged an hour ago for crying out loud. Besides, at the rate I'm going, I'd just need to replace it before the wedding anyway. There's no sense in spending the money on it until we're a little closer to the time, to make sure I have one that still fits."

"That won't matter, Bella," Alice argued. "You can just get it altered if you need to. Besides, if we don't get it this week, I don't know when I'll have the opportunity to get back here."

"I can see your point, I guess," Bella said, although she still didn't look like she was thrilled with the idea. It was important that she purchase the dress herself, and the sooner the better. Not only for sizing reasons, but a wedding dress was a very personal thing for a woman, I would imagine. I may be only a guy, but I did know that. There was no way I could choose a dress for her.

"I think it's a great idea," I put in, swallowing a bite of roll, trying to maintain my nonchalance.

"You do?" Bella asked, still looking unsure.

"Yeah. I mean, Alice is right. You should do it while you've got so much support here. Your mom, my mom, Alice, Kim… I'm sure they'd all love to help you pick out the perfect dress."

My mom and Alice nodded their affirmation quickly, of course, since they were already in on the secret. Renee agreed almost immediately, too, since she was Bella's mom, after all. Kim looked a little shocked at my suggestion that she'd help. She looked at me, realizing that there was something she didn't know. I implored her with my eyes, silently promising to explain things to her soon. I was grateful in that moment that I'd known her and Jared as long as I'd known Bella, and that she was able to read the pleading in my expression. "Yeah, Bella, you know I've grown to love you in the past five months since you've moved here. I'd be honored to help you choose a wedding dress."

"Oh. Well, if everyone's so insistent, then I guess so. I mean, Alice is right, they make those dresses so that they can be altered fairly easily, right? I mean, at the rate the baby's growing, if I bought a dress tomorrow, it'd probably be too small before two weeks have passed. You're sure, Alice? About the alterations?" I breathed a silent sigh of relief as Bella agreed to the one part of the plan I wouldn't be able to help with.

"Yes, Bella, I promise that any good dress shop would be able to make any adjustments you might need." She had a mischievous gleam in her eye that I hoped Bella wouldn't notice.

She didn't seem to; she just dropped her gaze to her plate and pushed her mashed potatoes around with her fork. "Alright. When should we go?"

"The sooner the better, as far as I'm concerned," Alice replied.

Bella frowned, still not looking quite enthusiastic about the idea. I didn't want her to resent going dress shopping; I had to fix this, and fast. "Do you not want to go shopping right away?" I asked her gently.

"No, it's not that. I do want to go get my dress. I just worry… I mean, it's not that I don't trust you," she looked up at Alice, "but what if it ends up needing more than a _little_ alteration? What if the whole thing has to be let out at the tummy?"

Alice spoke up, recognizing what I was trying to do and also my failure in doing so. "Don't worry, Bella. I'll tell you what. We'll go dress shopping tomorrow, and not only will we find the perfect dress for you, but I'll make sure we find you a seamstress you trust, too. Would that make you feel better about it?"

Bella's eyes lit up, and I knew I was in the clear. Alice had just earned her weight in gold as far as I was concerned. "Thank you, Alice."

"What about your color theme, Bella?" my mom spoke up, now that the first fire was put out.

"Well, I suppose it kind of depends on the room, the venue we choose," Bella began thoughtfully. Not for the first time in the past hour, my heart sank. She was really not going to make this easy for me. I frowned; what did that even mean, it depended on the room? Surely you could decorate any room just the way you wanted. "But I've always kind of liked the look of mostly darker purple with lavender highlights." I shoved a bite of broccoli into my mouth to hide my look of concern turned to joy in a matter of seconds when she answered the color question without any cajoling needed after all. My face almost gave me away as I tried to hide the grin that threatened to take over my face. I was feeling almost smug about being right about her favorite color. Plus, Bella was starting to look kind of excited. I hoped that that meant things would start flowing more naturally now. I'd love to hear some of Bella's ideas without everyone asking specific questions all night. I worried that she'd get suspicious if the questions continued. As if she could read my mind, Bella continued. "And you know what else I'd really love to have? Calla lilies. What do you think, Edward?" She turned toward me.

"Do the lilies come in purple?" I asked. "I've only ever seen them in white."

"I'm not sure," Bella mused. "Well, regardless, they don't bloom until the spring, so it's a bit of a moot point until we get closer to the actual day. Speaking of, when do you want to get married?"

"Before the baby," I told her, being both truthful and a bit coy at the same time. I just hoped she wouldn't be too upset when all was said and done about my having chosen the day without her input.

"Yeah, I agree, before the baby," she replied. "Do you have any specific day in mind though? I can't decide if I want something romantic like Valentine's Day, or if that's just cheesy and cliché. Our choice of flowers are more likely to be available if we wait until early March, but then what if he's born early? Where would that leave us?" Before she could worry too much about the specific day, I answered her in a way that I hoped wouldn't sound like I was just putting her off and at the same time might buy me some time before having to answer her.

"Listen, love, why don't we wait until after this hectic holiday week is over and then we can sit down after the start of the New Year and weigh all the options and choose the right date for us? For now, though, let's just enjoy figuring out all the details. Sound reasonable?"

She smiled at me. "Yeah. That sounds lovely, Edward, very non-stressful which is just what the Doctor ordered, Doc. Thank-you my fiancé."

"Your most welcome my fiancée." I couldn't help but smile back at her feeling quite relieved... at least for the moment.

By the time we'd all finished eating, my mom had recruited Kim and Renee to help with the cleanup—I assumed so that she could let them in on the secret—and Alice agreed to sit with Bella in the living room. I'd recruited the rest of the men to join me for a game of pool in the game room in my parents' basement. I hadn't been down there in a couple of years—too busy with my residency and whatnot—so I was a little afraid of actually playing the game, but I reminded myself that that was a ruse, anyway.

With the door at the top of the stairs firmly shut, I descended the stairs and faced my father, brother, and future father-in-law. "I didn't actually invite you guys here to shoot pool," I confessed.

"What?" Jasper complained. "It's been forever since we've played, and now, the first time in two years we're all here and ready and willing to play, and you say you don't want to?"

"I didn't say I wouldn't play, just that that wasn't the main reason for the invite. Let me talk for five or ten minutes, and then we'll play. There's something important I need to tell you guys." I leaned back against the pool table and crossed my arms over my chest, looking from face to face.

Charlie looked skeptical; I could just imagine the thoughts running through his head. He'd been pretty quiet most of the day, save for when he gave Bella a hard time for not answering my proposal right away. I suspected he was wondering how many more bombs I could drop on him. I did feel a little bad, now that I thought about it. It had been a tough year for him and Renee as Bella's parents. They'd gone through everything with her just as much as I had. And I had to admit, it had been one heck of a rollercoaster ride so far, with no immediate prospect of slowing down. I took a deep breath and just dove in, explaining everything to them, and concluding with the fact that I knew I couldn't do it all on my own, and would be grateful for any help they'd be willing to give me.

"You really want to marry my daughter next weekend?" Charlie was the first one to speak after I'd described my plan.

"Yes, sir, I do. More than anything."

"Well, good. I'm in. What about you guys?" He looked expectantly at my dad and Jasper.

They were still looking at me like I had two heads, but upon hearing Charlie's acceptance of the plan, they seemed to recover slightly. "Yes, of course," my father replied.

"Sure, whatever, so long as we can actually _shoot some pool _now," Jasper replied pointedly. I chuckled at my brother's never-failing pseudo-selfishness. I knew he wanted to play the game, but I also knew he'd be willing to talk this over as long as I wanted to.

"Okay, what do you say to my best-man racking 'em up for me?" I gave Jasper my crooked smile as I extended my hand to him.

"Of course man." He smiled as he took my hand and pulled me in for a one armed hug. "Dad, how about you get us a couple of cold ones, while I set up the balls," Jasper suggested. "I think some celebrating is in order."

By the time we'd finished the game—to my surprise, Charlie won—we'd planned a tentative schedule for the four of us for the upcoming week. While Bella and the girls were going to be out shopping for a wedding dress tomorrow, the four of us were going to go to one of those small, independently-owned menswear shops in the hopes that with the more personal service they'd be able to provide, we'd actually be able to get our finery back in time.

The dads were going to work on some of the 'heavy-lifting' items—renting chairs and space heaters and getting it all set up. Jasper decided that although whatever Alice was going to be working on would undoubtedly be 'feminine,' he'd rather spend the week with her regardless of what they were doing. After getting my tux, I had several other items on my agenda; I was definitely in for the busiest week of everyone.

x-x-x

I'd hoped that the tux shop would be able to fit us in and get us outfitted in the six remaining days I'd allocated, although in my heart of hearts, I didn't expect much. When the five of us—I'd called Jared the night before, after Bella had gone to bed, asking him to be my second groomsman, and he'd happily agreed—entered the tiny store, I was even less sure about my decision to not go with one of the major chains, and I almost suggested we go to one of those instead. The proprietor walked out then, though, having heard the tinkling of the bells attached to the door, and it was too late. The old man reminded me of Aro from the jewelry store a bit. _Maybe that's just me being ageist, though. I'm sure not all old men in the city look alike. _"What can I help you fine gentlemen with today?" the man asked in a voice that bustled with energy, much unlike his appearance.

My father placed one hand on my back and pushed me forward. I cleared my throat and spoke. "Well, actually, we need to be fitted with tuxes, all five of us, but the thing is, we're on an extremely short timetable."

"How short?" the man asked suspiciously.

"A week?" I realized that my voice was suddenly meek and afraid sounding, and that my need had come out sounding like a question.

He looked at me as if he were making a decision based on the way I looked right now as to whether or not he'd be able to accommodate my request. "What's the occasion that you need five tuxes done within the week?" His expression had softened, and for the first time since we'd entered the room, I had a feeling that this might actually be possible.

"Well, I just proposed to my fiancée last night, and she accepted." The proprietor of the store was about to say something else, but before he could, I continued. "Her father," I gestured toward Charlie, "has to go back home to the Seattle area in ten days. So we're getting married on Friday, so he can be here to walk his daughter down the aisle."

"Oh, that's lovely," the old man said, and he smiled at us. "Well, let's see what we can do for you. I'm sure I can help you out with that." I felt like a weight lifted from my chest. He was going to try to get the job done for us. "Take a look around the shop, decide what you want, and we'll go from there."

"Thank you very much," I told him appreciatively.

"That's why I'm here," he replied pleasantly.

After about twenty or thirty minutes of browsing the suits, I found the one that would be perfect. It was a traditional white shirt with black pants and jacket, but the vest and tie were a matching shade of purple—just what Bella had said she wanted as her wedding color. Also, the tie was a traditional tie rather than a bowtie, and I really liked that, too. It was a little break from tradition, which felt right to me. With the suit chosen, the tailor got to work measuring us and making notes on a small notepad.

"I'll place the order today," he told me when he'd finished making the notations. "And I'll make sure to express to my supplier the time sensitive nature of this particular order. I'll call you tomorrow with the details; I'm good friends with the supplier of that particular label, though, so I'm sure it won't be much trouble to fulfill your order on time."

"That would be wonderful, thank you so much." I had one last thought before we left the tux shop. "Does this vest and tie combo come in another color? Something a little less pronounced, perhaps?"

"I believe it comes in gray, black, and champagne, as well as the plum," he told me.

"Can we get mine in the purple and the other four in gray?"

"Of course. I'll make the change to your order form."

"Thank you again," I told him.

We left the menswear shop, and because it was Sunday, there was really not much more I could do before the next day. I didn't think Bella would be done shopping yet—so we all went back to my parents' place. The other four went down to the game room to play another round of billiards—Jasper wanted a rematch from Charlie—and I got to work on a workable guest list. My side was easy; I included everyone I'd already talked about with my mom the previous day, and added my father's close friend (and my namesake) Edward Masen and his wife Elizabeth. Growing up, they'd been like family; Jazz and I even called them 'uncle' and 'aunt.' It had been a long time since I'd seen them—too long, really—and I knew that I wanted to have them there on mine and Bella's special day. Of course, there were also my parents, Jazz, Jared and Kim, Dr. and Mrs. Snow, and Reverend and Mrs. McAlistair. That was eleven. On Bella's side, there were those who were already here, Charlie and Renee, Alice, and her boss, Jacob and his wife. That was five more, total of sixteen, plus the two of us. Eighteen. My parents' house was huge, and there was plenty of room for a few additional guests; even to fit at the dining-room table if it was fully extended. I racked my brain, trying to think whether Bella had ever mentioned any other friends. I was sure she had other friends, of course, but I just couldn't remember any of them off the top of my head. I didn't want to risk missing anyone who had even the remotest possibility of making it here, though. I pulled out my cell phone and sent a quick text message to Alice.

_Are there any friends of Bella's that I should make sure to invite?_

I clicked my pen impatiently while I waited for a return message. Finally my phone buzzed with an incoming text.

_How close are we to Milwaukee?_

That was a weird question, and not at all the answer I expected. I figured Alice must have a good reason for asking, though, and responded back, _Less than 2 hrs._

The return reply came quicker this time. _Good. In that case, Angela and Ben Cheney. _Their phone number and address were included in the message. While I was scribbling down the information from my screen, the phone buzzed again. _What about that doorman from your old apartment? The one that you had watch over Bella? She always seemed fond of him. Not the creepy one. _She was referring to Felix; that was an interesting idea. I hadn't thought much about him since Halloween, but he'd been a really good friend to Bella and me through the whole James issue. Maybe he would be an appropriate person to invite. Assuming he brought a date, my list was now up to twenty-two. Maybe one more couple to invite, to make an even two dozen. Or maybe that didn't matter. It sounded like a better number to me, though, so I considered for a moment. I would've invited the Denalis, if all five of them hadn't been so horrible the last time I'd seen them. I almost considered putting them on the list anyway, just to prove a point to Tanya that I was finally off the market for good. That just seemed petty, though, so I banished the thought. It would be better to simply avoid them as much as possible, I thought. A clean break. It wasn't like Tanya was calling me every day or anything, anyway. She seemed to have gotten the message after Halloween. I couldn't come up with anyone after ten minutes of sitting there, thinking, so I'd resigned myself to an 'off' number when the phone buzzed yet again. It was another text from Alice. _I don't know what the possibility is, but Renee's parents live in Phoenix; any chance of getting them up here? _Alice was brilliant. That would be perfect. I sent off a quick reply, requesting their phone number, and as soon as I had it, I got to work making the three phone calls.

I knew that it might be hard getting all these people here on such short notice, but I had to try. I dialed the number Alice had given me for Angela and Ben Cheney first. After three rings, a pleasant woman's voice picked up. "Hello?"

"Er, hi, Angela?"

"Yes. Who's this?" She sounded suspicious, and I couldn't blame her.

"Well, you don't know me, but my name is Edward Cullen; I'm engaged to Bella Swan."

"Oh! Bella! I haven't heard from her in months. How is she?"

I relaxed when Angela opened up at the mention of Bella. "Um, she's good, actually. She moved away from Seattle a few months ago, and we're living in the greater Chicago area."

"Wow. I had no idea. I wish we'd kept in better contact. If we're all living so close now, we should definitely get together more often. Especially if she's engaged! That's so great. Congratulations."

"Er, thanks. Listen, the reason I'm calling is because we're getting married on Friday, and well, it's kind of a surprise for Bella. I'm planning it all out so as not to cause any additional stress to her. That's why it's so sudden, really. Anyway, when I asked her friend Alice for the names of people I should invite, she gave me yours."

"Oh my goodness! Bella's getting married this weekend?"

"Yeah."

"Of course we'll be there."

I gave her my parents' address and the time my mom and I had decided would be best, and received another promise of her attendance before we hung up. I ended the call rather liking Angela. The only thing I debated mentioning versus not mentioning was Harrison; in the end, I decided Bella would want to have something to tell her friend, so I didn't mention the baby.

The next call was to Felix, and he seemed surprised, although pleasantly so, that I thought enough of him to invite him to mine and Bella's wedding; he also graciously accepted the invitation for two. I reminded him of how much Bella and I appreciated all his help, that he'd been a trusted ally and somewhat of a protector to us—especially Bella—when we'd lived in the apartment, and assured him that we really did want him to share our special day.

My final call of the afternoon was the most awkward. I'd never met Bella's grandparents, and I honestly should have left this call to Renee, but it came back to that trait that my mother had identified the previous night: I hated asking for help. Once I made it through the introduction of myself to Renee's father, the conversation actually went much smoother than I could have hoped for. He already knew a lot about our situation, thanks to Renee, but regretfully, they couldn't make the trip on such short notice. Funds weren't the problem, he assured me, it was simply a matter of timing. He sent his well wishes to Bella and promised that they'd send gifts before long. It was then my turn to assure him that _that _wasn't necessary, but he insisted, and we ended up concluding the phone call on friendly terms. I decided that I'd like to meet him sometime; perhaps after the baby was born, we could take a trip to Phoenix sometime. I reminded myself that I had too much still to do this week to try to plan a trip to Phoenix right now, though.

I looked at my watch and I had about another half hour to an hour before we really should be getting back home because Bella, Alice and her mom would probably be back by then. So I decided to look into where we could stay on our wedding night and get that booked. I also figured I had enough time to narrow down where I could take Bella for our honeymoon by checking into what the various web-based travel agents had still available, however I really couldn't make a final decision on that until after I talked to Bella's and my bosses to make certain we could both extend our time off for another week. _God, I hope they are feeling generous_. I couldn't concern myself about that now, though; it would be a waste of time and I had so little of that as it is.

_Let's see now, somewhere warm, tropical…_ that was always a popular choice for a honeymoon. Maybe…Bermuda… my parents went there two years ago for their anniversary and said they loved it. It did look really exotic. _I wonder… maybe, but where else?_ The Bahamas, nice beaches, casinos, golf courses, but Bella didn't golf—or gamble—and besides, we would be too busy for that… hopefully. Hawaii's really beautiful, the flowers, the surf, beaches—a tropical paradise with charming customs as well as all the conveniences of being in the U.S. I loved it when Mom and Dad took Jasper and me there before Jazz deported the first time. _Man, that was a long time ago._ I bet Bella would love it there, but it is so far away and hot—even in January—and she's pregnant; maybe we should go there after Harrison was born, when he is a few years old and we could stay for two weeks then and really enjoy it. _There are so many choices, too many; wait, what is this? Maybe… oh I like it, I think Bella would really love it there. I've always wanted to go here, in fact this sounds perfect… I can't wait to explore here with Bella. I wonder if I should just book it… no don't get a head of yourself Cullen… close the link… you'll know tomorrow if you both can get the time off and you can book the trip then. _

Most of these destinations had availability beginning on Sunday so for now all I could do was book a nice place for our wedding night—New Year's Eve and for New Year's, too, so we could start our honeymoon on Friday in style and leave from the hotel on Sunday for our destination, still unknown. I knew exactly which local hotel I wanted to take Bella to, too; it was the newest and most impressive looking hotel in downtown Chicago and had the best location—right in the middle of the high-end shopping and theater district, with the best restaurants and historical sites along the river and the rooms are supposed to be really luxurious and spacious with wall to wall, ceiling to floor windows overlooking the view of the city. _Okay found the web page, which says to input reservation date—check. Availability—check. Name and credit card information—check. One 'Grand, Deluxe, River View Room for two nights, with a king size bed, a Jacuzzi bath, a sitting area with a sofa, a comfy chair and a 42" flat-screen, and I checked off the late-checkout option, at The Trump International Hotel and Tower—booked. Oh, Bella, I can hardly wait to take you there._

x-x-x

Bella

I was still a little nervous about going to the wedding dress place; I'd said I was okay with it mostly to appease Alice, but within ten minutes of walking into the bridal shop, I was super excited. They had an entire section of 'maternity wedding dresses,' and it turned out that Alice was right. These gowns were designed to be altered for growing bellies. I found the one I wanted fairly quickly, but that wasn't good enough for Alice. "You can't just buy the first dress you try on, Bella," she told me. I disagreed, but tried on a dozen others after that first one, just to mollify Alice's need to know I didn't overlook _the one_ I would like the best. When all was said and done, I picked the first one, anyway. I was glad Alice didn't give me too hard a time about that.

The dress was simply perfect. It could not have fit me better – like it was tailor-made—at least for now—and was incredibly comfortable and so soft and feminine and I hated to admit it, but I just felt like I was really pretty in it, for the first time in a really long time. I couldn't wait for Edward to see me wearing it. I just knew he would love it. My eyes filled with tears at that thought… I just couldn't help it. The thought of Edward seeing me wearing my wedding dress and walking down the aisle to him waiting for me made me feel like I must be dreaming… I wanted that, I wanted to give myself to Edward so bad. My dress was made entirely of ivory satin-silk and was strapless, with a flat neckline, a fitted bodice and slightly flowing skirt, satin covered button-up closure all the way down the back, with a lavender sash between my chest and baby bump, and the skirt stopped just off the floor—that assured that I wouldn't trip over it as I walked down the aisle when the time came.

I picked a very pretty, yet delicate, pearl and rhinestone tiara-headband with floral details which I thought looked really elegant but not too princess-like or overdone. I never wanted to wear my hair up on my wedding day, so I thought a pretty yet simple head piece would be more appropriate than a veil and would probably stay in place better too. Alice suggested I purchase a pair of matching shoes, ivory, satin-covered, low-healed Mary Jane pumps; as my dress stopped at my shoes I agreed with her suggestion without argument.

"Bella, what colors did you say you wanted for your wedding?" Esme asked after my dress was safely set aside with the saleswoman. "Purple, right?"

"Yeah, I love purple and all the various shades of it."

"I saw this little sweater/jacket and thought it would be perfect to cover up with, providing you with enough warmth for a little while without covering up too much of your dress. You know, Bella, no matter when you and Edward decide to have your wedding, before the baby is due in March it is still going to be chilly, dear, so what do you think? It has little purple flowers and pink and white ones too embroidered along with seed-pearls and sequins hand-sewn all along each of the edges. Do you like it?" She held it out to me to try on. It was beautiful beige cashmere and mohair on the outside, with an ivory satin lining and all this stunning hand beaded detail and little tea-roses on the cuffs and running across the bottom, up the front and around the neckline with a single button closure at the top.

"I love it, Esme. And you know, I would be able to wear it again after our wedding too. I'll take it."

"Oh Bella, I love it too," Alice gushed.

"Do you want to look at bridesmaids' dresses while we're here?" Esme prodded.

"Oh! Yeah, that sounds good. I can't believe I hadn't even thought of that yet. I'm sorry I really should have… it's just that now that I am engaged to Edward, everything seems to be happening so fast." Everyone laughed at my comment, I'm not sure why. I looked over at Alice, my maid of honor last time, and Kim who has become an invaluable friend to me already, and I didn't need to look any further. "You guys will be my bridesmaids, right? You're my closest friends, and I wouldn't want anyone else standing up there with me. Please say you'll do it?"

Their smiles brightened the room. "Of course I'll be in your wedding," Alice gushed.

At the same time, Kim said, "I'm so flattered you'd ask me, Bella. Thank you; I'd be honored to support you and Edward in that way."

"Great," I said, beaming at them.

"Purple and lavender?" the saleswoman asked, having been standing quietly nearby the entire time we were talking.

"Yeah, that would be great," I told her.

"I think I know just the thing," she replied.

"Oh, good. Because I'm not sure I can handle Alice searching for her own bridesmaid dress," I laughed. "I'm actually a little tired; can you take the two of them with you," I gestured to Alice and Kim, "and come back to me for a decision?"

"Of course. You sit and rest, and we'll be back soon." She looked almost as excited as the rest of us; I hoped it was more than just her commission that had her looking that way. I pushed my cynicism away, not wanting to be that way. She was a perfectly nice woman, and I had no reason to suspect her of that; I was just tired, I reasoned.

I sat down on the plush, white sofa and leaned my head back against the cushions and closed my eyes. "May I sit with you?"

When my mother's voice broke through my quiet place, I allowed my eyes to flutter open and I smiled up at her. "Of course you can, Mom."

Once she was sitting next to me, we started talking. "So, this is all kind of sudden, sweetie; you just got engaged yesterday, and today you're buying a dress. How are you feeling about that?"

"Honestly? I was a little worried at first, but now I'm just excited. I'm _so _sure about Edward, Mom. I know things between us have gone even faster than they did the first time for me, but it just feels so much more… _right _this time, you know?"

"I do know. When it happens, it happens, and there's no doubt."

"Was it like that for you and dad?"

"Yeah, it really was. I think I knew your father was _the one_ on our first date and I do believe if you were to ask him, he would say the same thing. But as much as I love your father, Bella, I didn't sit down over here to talk about me, or him. I want you to know one thing for certain. I _will _be here for your wedding; so will your dad. He wouldn't miss getting to walk you down the aisle for anything in the world. Remember that, okay?"

"Really?" Tears were forming in my eyes. The thought of my father showing any kind of passion for anything was…heartwarming.

"Really," she assured me. "Now, about this wedding of yours… I'm not going to talk to you about a date, because I know that's something you need to work out with Edward, but what about some of the other details? Have you thought about the venue? Or whether you want to write your own vows versus using the traditional ones?"

"Venue? Honestly, I really just want a small intimate gathering of our friends and family so the place doesn't have to be big… well not too big. I'm really hoping that Esme and Carlisle will let us use their gazebo in the backyard. Have you seen it?"

"I have; it's lovely."

"Can you imagine it all gussied up for a wedding? White twinkle lights, and tulle draped in the trees and in the gazebo with silk flowers… Oh, it would be so beautiful." I nearly swooned at the thought.

"It would be gorgeous, that's for sure."

"If we get married before the baby's born, though, I just don't see that happening," I said, a little sadly. "It'll be much too cold until at least April or May for an outdoor wedding."

"Well, Bella, I don't know about that… if the reception is held indoors and we put up warming lamps in and around the gazebo, you never know; it might be possible. Let's think on that some more later."

"Okay." _Warming lamps, I hadn't thought of that; I wonder if that would warm things up enough? _

"What about your vows?" I noticed that my mother seemed to come up with a solution to my problem with my first choice of venue rather quickly, like she had already been thinking about it. Had she pictured me getting married in the gazebo too? _Nah! _I decided to just let it go_. Jeez! I must really be tired; I'm just jumping to crazy assumptions now._

"Sorry, I was thinking about what you were saying before. So, vows… I think traditional is going to be the way to go for me, Mom. I worry that if I had to write my own, I'd either not know what to say that would convey everything Edward means to me, or when the time came, I'd get up there and forget them. I want to commit to him, but I also don't want to make a fool out of myself. Is that horrible?"

"Not at all, sweetie. There's nothing wrong with traditional vows; those are the ones your father and I made to each other, and we're perfectly happy with how our wedding turned out and certainly our life together since then. The words themselves are less important than the sentiment behind them. So long as you sincerely mean whatever vows you pledge to one another, then that's what matters most."

I considered her words, and found comfort in them. I hoped Edward would be okay with traditional vows. "Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome, baby."

Alice, Kim, and the saleswoman came back over then, and my two best friends looked fabulous. They were in matching lavender strapless gowns, made out of taffeta, with a flat neckline, an A-line bodice all the way to the hip - the saleswoman called it a modified mermaid cut, and the skirt was topped off with a deep purple sash and slightly fuller, floor length, with a high slit up the back and a zip closure also in the back.

They both looked absolutely stunning, and I quickly approved the dresses; my face must have been really giving away my exhaustion by this point, because Esme and my mom both insisted that we take me home as soon as we'd paid for all our purchases. We had planned to go out for lunch after our shopping excursion and possibly to go to a few more stores after lunch to look for the gowns for the mothers of the bride and groom, but luckily they took pity on me and mom and Esme decided to go shopping again later in the week for their dresses and Alice offered to make us a salad and sandwiches with what I had in the fridge at home while I took a nap. I told them if they kept spoiling me like this, I might not let any of them go home, because I could definitely get used to it.

x-x-x

Monday morning, I was awoken when the smell of fresh coffee invaded my nostrils. I was instantly reminded of the Christmas commercial from my childhood. _The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup. _I giggled at the memory, and kind of expected Edward to roll over and ask me what was so funny. When he didn't, I turned instead toward his side of the bed and found it empty. I clambered out of the bed and into our private bathroom, where I splashed cold water on my face to help me fully wake up, then scurried back to the bedroom and dressed quickly.

My mom and Alice were sitting in the living room, chatting away. I noticed immediately that the guys were all conspicuously absent. "Morning, sweetie," my mom said when I entered the room.

"Morning. Where's Edward?"

"He didn't really give us that many specifics. Just said he had a few things he needed to get done today, and that he'd prefer it if you just relaxed today. No stress. And that he'd be back in a few hours," she replied. She had a bit of a mischievous gleam in her eyes, and I suspected that there was something I wasn't being told. I wanted to ask, but I knew that if that was the case, I probably wouldn't get any information out of anyone anyway, so I left it alone.

Instead, I just decided to go along with everyone. "Okay," I told my mom, sitting down next to her on the antique sofa.

x-x-x

Edward

By the end of the week, I was pretty sure we had everything ready. The honeymoon was planned thanks to the good people at . I'd checked with Dr. Snow, and Bella was still safe to travel the week following the wedding, so the trip was booked. I just hoped she'd like it. During that same visit to his office, I'd managed to secure a last-minute week of time off for myself, and invited him and Mrs. Snow to the wedding, which he had humbly accepted. I'd visited Bella's boss, Jacob, and invited him and his wife, Leah, as well; he'd also been extremely flattered and accepted the invitation and graciously gave Bella the extra week off from work. I'd spent hours with my mom choosing a menu, a cake, and the flowers. _Oh, the flowers._ If I never saw another calla lily after Friday night, I'd be okay with that.

I'd visited the jewelry store where I had purchased Bella's engagement ring, for our matching platinum wedding bands, and decided on buying earrings as well, since they matched Bella's engagement ring perfectly—with the diamond and sapphire circles—only they were a little smaller and had stud backs. I wanted to give Bella some kind of a gift in honor of our wedding and when I saw them I knew they would be the perfect present to represent the occasion. They cost a little more than I was planning on spending, but I decided, what the hell, I'm only getting married once and Bella was certainly worth it.

I secured the chair rentals and my Dad ended up purchasing the heating lamps for his patio and gazebo instead of renting them; he said he had wanted to buy some for a long time anyway, and Alice and Renee, on top of keeping Bella occupied, had somehow managed to secure all of the decorations for outside including the twinkle lights, yards and yards and yards of this white silky, gauzy material and white, pink and lavender silk flowers and hid them at my parents' house until it was_ safe_ to decorate, along with the bridesmaid's dresses, my mom and Renee's dresses and Bella's wedding dress; Alice had insisted that I not see it until the ceremony started.

They were going to get more of that white material to drape around the foyer, and living and dining rooms as well as a purple carpet for a runway to lay outside, extending out from the back door to the gazebo, but my mom told them she could borrow a runner from the company she uses for her interior design work to save a little money. My mom also decided to forgo most of the draped fabric for inside the house except for the railing surrounding the circular staircase in their foyer which leads up to the bedrooms, and instead she went with candles as decorations, lots and lots of them in addition to the flowers everywhere.

Charlie had commandeered my laptop for a few hours and secured a local photographer and his partner—a husband and wife team—who would be making a DVD of our wedding and reception. When I'd told Charlie that I'd pay for it, he declined, insisting that he wanted to provide something for the wedding, so I didn't argue with him.

When I mentioned in passing to Alice about needing something to keep Bella occupied on Friday until it was time to get dressed for the wedding, she suggested a spa day for the five women. "It's a double whammy," she'd said. "It'll keep Bella busy while you get the house ready, and she'll be looking radiant by Friday night; so will the rest of us, and then all us girls will have to do is get dressed. Oh and Edward, might I suggest we book the following treatments at the spa: a manicure, pedicure, hair, make-up and if you want, a massage would be wonderful, at least for Bella. She'd love it." It was a great suggestion, so I spoke with my mom about which place was a good one and I booked the spa the same day Alice had made the suggestion, and presented the gift certificate to Bella that night.

She'd eyed me suspiciously after she opened it, but I'd spoken quickly, insisting that I wanted to do that for her and her friends. "You know, before your mom and Alice go home. You guys should have a really special experience before they leave." She couldn't argue with that, and keeping the secret in about what else was going on that day after that, had been the most difficult part of the week.

I woke Bella up on Friday morning so she could get ready and join her mother and Alice who were drinking coffee and waiting for her in my kitchen, so that the three of them could head out to a little bake shop on the way to the spa for bagels with cream cheese and more coffee. Kim was supposed to pick up my mom and they were going to meet up with Bella and party at the bakery before heading over to the spa. As soon as the three of them had left our house, I hurriedly whipped off my pajama pants, took a quick shower and slipped into my jeans and pulled a dark gray t-shirt over my bare chest. Jasper and Charlie took a little longer to get ready because they had to take turns in the upstairs shower. We had a quick breakfast of fried eggs, toast, juice and coffee which we scarfed down and I hurriedly washed up the fry pan and shoved the dishes in the dishwasher; by ten, we were ready to go.

We made it to my parents' house by about a quarter to eleven, and wedding preparations were already underway. It was rather overwhelming, honestly. My father had done a phenomenal job getting everyone started on their jobs in my absence, and I didn't have too much to do now. I mostly was just an overseer for the day. The wedding was scheduled for six-thirty, I'd asked the guests to arrive by six—but no earlier—in order to maintain the surprise for Bella. I'd told Bella and her mom to arrive at five or five-thirty for a New Year's Eve party—for just the family and Kim and Jared. She knew that I was planning on being here to help set up for the party and that her dad and Jasper were coming with me, but as far as I knew, she had no idea that the party was actually our wedding.

At four-thirty, I headed to my childhood bedroom, where my tux was waiting, and sat on the bed I'd slept on for most of my eighteen years in this house. I hadn't spent much time in here in the past ten years, but my parents still kept it for me looking exactly the way I had left it. My mother was afraid of removing anything and then having me—or Jasper in the case of his room—need to come back home. I removed my sneakers and socks, and gazed around the room. The music motif was still very prevalent in the room; in high school, I'd been very into piano and guitar, but once I hit college and especially medical school, I hadn't had time to play. I made a silent vow to start that again once Harry was born. I could teach him both of those instruments when he was older. One thought hit me as I sat there, with bare feet in my old bedroom. I hurried over to my desk and found a yellow legal pad—not the most romantic paper in the world, but it'd do—and a ball point pen. I scribbled out a letter to my Bella, something I wanted her to have on our wedding day, and folded it in half before scrawling her name on the outside and walking down the hall to my parents' bedroom, where it was decided that she, Alice, and Kim would be getting ready. I tented the letter on top of my mom's vanity and went back to my room.

I checked my watch and saw that it was four-forty. I had to hurry; I wanted to be ready—in my tux—by the time Renee and Bella arrived here. After the trip to the spa was complete, Alice and my Mom and Kim had come back to my parent's to help with any last minute wedding preparations and to get dressed in their wedding attire, while Renee and Bella went back to our home so they could have a snack and Bella could have a nap. Then they were to get ready for the '_New Year's Party' _and come back to my parents' house in time for Kim and Alice to help Bella get dressed for our wedding and Renee would have a chance to get herself ready as well.

I had a plan for greeting her, and I wanted to be the one to tell her that we were getting married tonight. If I wasn't ready to greet her at the door when she arrived, I had a plan B; I arranged that Bella's mom would get to give her my news when she took her upstairs to get herself dressed and would meet up with Alice and Kim who would help Bella get into her wedding dress. I didn't want that, though, so I changed quickly, and was in my spot before the Bella and Renee arrived.

I heard the car approach first, and at exactly five-twenty-five, the front door opened—Bella had gotten over her aversion of just walking into this place, after my parents had assured her that she was family, too. Then Bella and Renee bustled into the foyer laughing and talking, with Bella in the lead. When she saw me standing there, she gasped.

"What are you doing? Why are you wearing a tuxedo for a New Year's Eve house party? Isn't that a little fancy?"

"This is more than just a New Year's Eve party, Bella." I descended the final two stairs and took both of her hands in mine. "This is our wedding."

The look on her face was enough to convince me that I'd done the right thing. "Really?" Her eyes glistened with tears.

"Really. I've taken care of all the details that we both wanted, with the help of a few of our friends and family," I grinned at her mom who had tears in her eyes and the women standing behind me as my mom, Alice and Kim had descended the stairs. I then heard first my dad, and then Charlie, followed closely by Jasper and Jared come through the dining room into the foyer as well. It was clear that each of them wanted to be a part of Bella's surprise and to see her now smiling face... almost as much as I did. "All you have to do is let Alice and Kim help you go get your dress on and meet me at the altar in about an hour."

"Oh, my god. The altar; what altar? I can't believe this."

"Don't worry Bells, that's what I'm here for, I'll show you the way," Charlie said with a big smile on his face.

I leaned forward and kissed her chastely on the mouth. "I love you, baby."

"I love you, too," she said, her voice breaking. "This is… this is… I'm beyond words. I really don't know what to say." She turned to look at her mom first, then her dad and my parents, then my brother who had walked over to stand by Alice and Kim and Jared.

"You were all in on this?"

They just smiled at her. Then Alice, being Alice, started bouncing up and down. "Come on, Bella, we're down to fifty-eight minutes now. I mean, you're hair and make-up's done, thanks to the spa, but we still have a lot of work to do getting you ready. Let's _go_." She grabbed Bella's arm and pulled her up the stairs past me, while everyone else just laughed quietly at Alice's exuberance.

"I'll meet you at the altar, love," I called up after her. I almost shed a tear myself when I pictured Bella's face in my mind again, and even more so when the thought hit me; _the very next time I__ will see__ her, it __will __be to become husband and wife. _


	38. Today Was A Fairy Tale

**A/N: I don't own _Twilight. _**

**Special thanks to my friends Gerri (super beta) and Rory (the best pre-reader I could hope for). Without them, this story wouldn't be what it is today :).**

**And of course, thanks to you for reading.**

**So, you've read thirty-seven of my chapters now, therefore you probably realize this, but I don't normally allow my chapters to rely heavily on a song. I'll occasionally use a song for inspiration for _part _of a chapter, but rarely for the entire thing. Well, this time, I am. The entire chapter is based on Taylor Swift's _Today Was a Fairy Tale. _I love that song (actually, I love every song Taylor Swift has ever released, lol), and from the very first time I heard it, I knew I wanted the PP wedding to follow that song. It's just too perfect not to. If you haven't heard it, then head over to you-tube and take a listen. I'll put a link up on my profile, but if for some reason I forget to have that up by the time you read this, just run a search; you'll be able to find it no problem.**

**CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT: TODAY WAS A FAIRY TALE**

**Bella**

The spa was amazing; Edward had really gone all out on the gift certificate, and we had all the typical spa-type activities: mud baths, steam rooms, massages, all wrapped up with getting our nails, hair and makeup done for the party. We finished around one-thirty in the afternoon, and just before we left, they surprised me with some shower-type gifts; I had no idea when they'd managed to purchase the items, and honestly, I was a little embarrassed by the little scraps of fabric that the other four called 'lingerie.' When I couldn't keep the question in any longer—why they had bought me _lingerie,_ today, out of the blue—Alice answered. To be fair, there were other things, too, though; a slew of bath and body oils and lotions among other things "Well, I know your mom and I are planning on being here for your wedding, but I wanted to make sure we could be a part of a bridal shower for you as well. I didn't want you to miss out on our fabulous presents, Bella." I couldn't really argue much with that; the reminder that Alice didn't live here was a bit difficult to remember sometimes. I'd gotten so accustomed to having her around, this past week, it was like we'd never had our slight falling-out over the Rosalie incident, or been away from each other for as long as we had.

By the end of lunch, I was actually feeling pretty good, but my mom insisted that we go back to my house and rest before the party. Alice, Esme, and Kim were going over the Cullens' to prepare for the party, and no matter how many times I offered, they took my mom's side. So in the end, the three of them went back to Chicago in Kim's car while my mom and I came home in mine.

I hated the idea of sleeping with my party makeup on, but I couldn't convince my mom that I didn't need a nap before the party. I felt a little like a young child, which was kind of irritating; I was _engaged _after all, and about to have a child of my own. The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized that she was just trying to take care of me. When all was said and done, I ended up not arguing with her and laying down on mine and Edward's bed. I was very careful to lay on my back, though, in the hopes that I wouldn't smudge my makeup. I'd decided against an up-do for the party tonight and instead had just had my hair washed and the ends trimmed. Its natural waves didn't require much more than that, even for a party—albeit a family-only home one.

It didn't feel like it had been very long at all between the time I first laid on the bed and when my mom was coming in, telling me that it was time to get up and get ready, because we were expected at Edward's parents house soon. I was slightly groggy, but Mom seemed wide awake. I had no idea what she'd done while I slept, but whatever it was must have kept her entertained because she seemed to be just bursting with energy.

I'd just been wearing yoga pants and a tee-shirt at the spa in the name of comfort, and I was still wearing just that now. I went over to the closet and pulled out two work suits—the maternity ones; I hadn't been shopping in awhile except for my wedding dress, and didn't have any party dresses that would fit now—with the intention of asking my mom's opinion. I walked over to the door and stood in the frame; my mom was just a few feet away on the sofa. "Hey, Mom? Which of these do you think would be better for tonight?"

"Actually, baby, Alice called while you were resting; she said she went out and bought you something for tonight; it's at Esme's so you can just wear anything now and change there."

"Oh." That was…weird. And then, it wasn't. Shopping was Alice's life, literally. So I shouldn't have been surprised at the fact that she'd bought me a new dress. I shrugged and reentered my bedroom and returned the suits to the closet.

When I emerged, my mom smiled and asked, "Are you hungry? I've made a small snack, and we've got just enough time for it before we need to leave for the party."

"Actually, I am a little bit. Thank you."

We sat together at the dining table eating the fruit, cheese and crackers my mom had prepared before she woke me up, and when we'd both had our fill, and made one more trip to the bathroom to brush our teeth, we left for the city. While we were sitting at the table my mom and I had a mother-daughter chat that definitely threatened to ruin the makeup I had been so careful about preserving when we started talking about my pending nuptials. She filled me in on the shopping excursion she went on with Esme, giving me a little more information about the dresses they'd purchased for our wedding. It seemed that they decided to coordinate with the color scheme I chose for the day as they both picked shades of purple – my mom's a deep lilac and Esme's a dark purple. They had a fun time together, according to my mom, even going out for a bite after they finished their shopping. Mom said she also purchased two long sleeve, angora, sweater-shrugs, in mauve for Kim and Alice to wear over their bridesmaid's dresses. She said she couldn't resist buying them as the color was a perfect match to the dresses.

"Thanks, Mom, I'm sure they will love them."

"Oh, Bella," my mom gushed, "I can hardly believe we're sitting here talking about your wedding…my little girl is really getting married."

"Mom, I thought you would be thinking 'it's about time;' I mean I was supposed to be married already… six months ago and well," I gestured to my baby bump.

"I know dear, but first of all that marriage was not meant to be, and now, even though you are already settled into your life with Edward and expecting a child of your own, it doesn't change the fact that whenever your father and I look at you we see not only the woman you've become, but also our daughter who we love so very much. Bella, when I look at you at a time like this, I can't help but remember so many of your firsts: your first day of school, and your first communion and—"

"Mom please, you have to stop, I don't want to cry."

"Okay, but listen, I'm only trying to say that just like all of those other times, your father and I know you will make the most beautiful bride and the most wonderful wife and mother and we are very happy with your choice for a husband; you two are so well suited to each other and obviously crazy about each other too."

"You think so, Mom?"

"We both do, we've talked about it. We're so happy for you both." She reached out and pulled me into her arms and I hugged her back, before fleeing to the washroom, somehow winning the battle to keep my make-up intact. "And for the record, no matter how old you get, Bella Marie Swan," my mother yelled out from across the room, "you will always be our little girl." I just smiled and kept going.

We drove to Esme and Carlisle's house in relative quiet; I was still a bit tired, and my mom didn't know the way, so I had to drive, focusing extra hard on the road, especially as it was already dark. I hoped we wouldn't hit any ice, and thankfully, we made it all the way there safely. As we were pulling into the driveway, my mom told a joke that still had me laughing as we entered Carlisle and Esme's home.

I didn't really even think about it when she insisted that I go through the door first. Over the past few months, I'd grown accustomed to entering Carlisle and Esme's house without knocking, so I did just that on this day.

When I opened the door and practically tumbled through it, I saw Edward standing on the low landing, just two steps up the staircase, wearing a tuxedo. I'd seen Edward dressed up, of course, but in a full-on tuxedo… There were no words. He was the most handsome man I'd ever had the pleasure of laying my eyes on. I couldn't keep a gasp from escaping my throat. "What are you doing? Why are you wearing a tux for a New Year's Eve party? Isn't that a little fancy?"

I could never have anticipated the next words out of his mouth in a million years. "This is more than just a New Year's Eve party, Bella." He stepped down from the landing and took each of my hands in his. "This is our wedding."

I had no coherent thoughts at that moment. My eyes filled with tears and I swallowed thickly. "Really?" I couldn't mask my shock and surprise, and above all, awe that this was happening.

"Really. I've taken care of all the details that we both wanted, with the help of our friends and family. All you have to do is let Alice and Kim help you get your dress on and meet me at the altar in about an hour." At the mention of _friends and family, _I looked around and saw that we'd been joined by everyone: Alice and Kim were wearing their bridesmaids dresses standing on the stairs, closely flanked by Esme, wearing a stunning deep purple gown, just as my mother had described; the four men, my dad, Carlisle, Jasper, and Jared emerged from the dining room, all spruced-up wearing matching tuxedos, vests and ties and all grinning at me, obviously wanting to see my reaction to the surprise.

"Oh my god," I murmured. "The altar; what altar? I can't believe this." My words felt jumbled; I had no words to convey the jumble of thoughts going through my mind.

My dad stepped up next to me, his smile the biggest of all—besides Edward's—and said, "Don't worry, Bells. That's what I'm here for; I'll show you the way."

Edward leaned in and kissed me sweetly on the mouth, and I eagerly returned the gesture. All too soon, he was pulling away and saying, "You look gorgeous. I love you, baby."

"I love you, too," I said, my voice chock full of emotion. "This is… this is… I'm beyond words. I really don't know what to say." I turned around to face my mother, and then back around to face my almost-mother-in-law, and best friends. "You were all in on this?"

They smiled at me, not saying any words, but their silence and grins spoke volumes. It was obvious from their expressions that all four of them had been in on the surprise. After about three seconds, Alice couldn't contain herself any longer. "Come on, Bella, we're down to fifty-eight minutes now. I mean, your hair and makeup's done, thanks to the spa, but we still have a lot of work to do getting you ready. Let's _go_." She grabbed me by the arm and towed me up the stairs, everyone laughing below us.

"I'll meet you at the altar love," Edward called to me, and I hastened a glance at him as I tried to keep from blinking in a fruitless attempt to keep the tears in my eyes from overflowing.

It was a losing battle, though, as my eyes were swimming by the time we made it to the top of the stairs, and I was glad I had so much help around to keep me from falling. I felt like I was immersed in a dream, that this day could not possibly be real, as Alice held my hand, pulling me excitedly along the corridor. I could hardly make out where she was leading me, but I didn't care; I was a willing participant. On the way we passed what I knew to be Edward's childhood bedroom, I caught just a glimpse of what I recognized as the clothes he'd worn this morning—his favorite jeans and a dark gray shirt. It hit me that he'd been here all day, and his unexplained absences all week made sense now, too. He'd been planning this. Alice led me to Carlisle and Esme's room; I'd seen it only on my 'official' tour of the house, I'd never spent any substantial amount of time in there. As I entered the large room, I realized why it had been chosen for my preparation area: Esme had a vanity with a large mirror in here, and there was also a private bathroom. "Sit," Alice instructed, pointing at the vanity chair. I obeyed, and Alice turned me to face the mirror.

There was something on the vanity that caught my eye. I quickly rubbed my fingers over my face to clear the tears away so I could see properly and took a better look at the counter. It was a slip of paper with my name written on the outside in Edward's oh-so-familiar handwriting. I picked it up and shushed Alice when she reminded me that we were down to 'fifty-six and a half minutes' remaining. I glanced at Kim for a few seconds when she giggled, at either Alice's exuberance or my shushing her, I wasn't sure. Then my thoughts and my vision were consumed once again by the letter my very thoughtful and beautiful Edward had written to me.

_Dear Bella,_

_The next time I see you will be when you're walking down the aisle to me, to become my wife. Unless, of course, you hate the idea of the surprise wedding, in which case, well… I don't know what I'll do. I sincerely hope you're not upset with me for planning this entire affair behind your back. Know, though, that it wasn't really behind your back, because I made sure that every decision I made was with your blessing. That's why everyone's been so insistent about getting your opinions about some 'future wedding' all week long. I wanted to make sure our wedding was your dream wedding. I hope I've succeeded._

_I know that I tell you frequently that I love you, but it never seems like these words are enough. Since, how can three little words express what you have come to mean to me? I know I must be truly blessed to be with you, for I know that you are more than I deserve. You are my life now, Bella and I look forward to spending the rest of my days with you, loving you and raising not only Harrison, but hopefully we will be blessed with more children in the future as well. _

_ I hope we will look back on this day, our wedding day, with the fondest of memories, and see it as marking the first day of our eternal commitment to each other, our first of many milestones we have reached together and hand in hand we will walk into our future joined as one, loving each other, growing stronger still… over the next fifty—or so— years to come. _

_ I'm waiting for you, my love, to come take my hand._

_I'll meet you at the altar._

_I love you Bella, with all my heart._

_Edward_

"Are you ready now?" Alice asked, breaking into my thoughts. Her voice was gentle, not at all rushing, which frankly surprised me a little. I knew she had to have been worried about the small amount of time she had to get me ready, and I'd just spent several of those precious minutes reading the letter.

"Yes, I'm ready."

"Good, because thanks to all that crying you've done, we need to redo some of your makeup, too. You can thank me now for insisting on waterproof mascara and eyeliner, because at least we only have to clean up the tear streaks and not any black lines running down your face." Her voice was only half teasing. I looked at myself in the mirror.

"Thank you, Alice." I gave her a sardonic smile. I looked back at Kim who was smiling ear to ear and obviously trying not to laugh, and then I broke out in a big smile as well because really I couldn't care any less about my make-up being perfect, I was feeling far too happy for that.

I refolded the paper and held it securely in my lap. I knew that now more than ever, I didn't have to worry about losing Edward any longer, but I still wanted to have that small connection to him while I was being primped and preened for the wedding. _Oh, my word, I'm getting married tonight! _The words repeated in my mind until they began to lose meaning. Alice and Kim made quick work of cleaning my face and then applying fresh makeup to my cheeks and lips before I changed into the white-lacy-under-garments I purchased especially for my wedding day. After I was done, Kim sat me down in the seat in front of the vanity once again as Alice held a heated curling iron and was eyeing me speculatively. Kim brushed out my hair and then Alice gave me a few ringlets that fell loosely around my face before she placed the tiara/headband that I'd picked out in my hair. I absolutely loved how it looked and felt and it even held back a few tufts of my hair, keeping them from falling in my face. Alice and Kim each grabbed one of my hands and led me away from the vanity to an open area in Esme's and Carlisle's bedroom so they could help me into my dress. Alice painstakingly buttoned-up the nearly thirty little bobbles on the back of my dress while Kim buckled the straps on my Mary-Janes and handed me my beautiful sweater/jacket, and helped me put it one over my dress. Alice and Kim put their shrugs on and my mother was right, they matched their dresses perfectly. I sat gingerly on the edge of Esme's bed when I was declared 'ready,' awaiting my mother's entrance, letting us know as soon as she would be dressed and ready to take her place; everyone else had gotten ready before I'd arrived here. "What time is it?" I asked the room in general.

"A quarter after six," Kim told me.

I nodded, and reopened the yellow paper I'd been clutching ever since I'd first discovered it. I read it again, then once more. Every time, I seemed to find some deeper meaning within the words, and I had to take a lot of deep breaths to make sure I didn't cry and mess up my new makeup job. I knew we didn't have time to do it again. Everything seemed to disappear around me as I read the letter, and I was surprised when I heard my dad's voice from just outside the door a few minutes later.

"Are you ladies ready?" he called.

I looked around the room with unfocused eyes; my mother was the one to respond first; I'd been so distracted by Edward's letter that I hadn't noticed when she entered the room along with Esme. "We are, sweetie," my mom yelled out to him. "We'll be there in just a minute."

The four women closest to me in my world huddled around me, each giving me hugs and well wishes. We were just about ready to get up when my mom exclaimed, "Wait! You need your something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue."

"Well, her dress is new, and her ring is blue," Alice mused before I could even really think. "So, borrowed and old…"

"I know," Esme said. She walked over to her closet and pulled out a stunning off-white, hooded, cloak, with lots of lace and intricate beading.

"Oh my, this is so beautiful Esme, I couldn't possibly," I said in stunned disbelief.

"Yes you can and you will…you might need it later. It was my grandmother's. It'll serve the dual purpose of keeping you warm and being your something old."

I just nodded and smiled in silent thanks. My mother reached into her purse, just then and brought out a small package wrapped in silver paper. "Bella, even though your dress is new, your father and I wanted you to have something from us to wear on your special day."

"Oh mom, just having you here… both of you… you didn't have to…"

"I know we didn't have to, we wanted to," she smiled warmly back at me. I tucked my finger under the flap, being careful not to cut myself and tore the pretty paper off, revealing a blue rectangle box beneath and opened it.

"Oh, Mom, it's so pretty. I love it. Thank you." I reached over and gently pulled her to me, for a hug. "Help me put it on." It was a delicate diamond tennis bracelet in white gold; my mom fastened it to my left arm.

"And here," Kim piped up, removing the strand of pearls from around her own neck. "Borrow my necklace."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"_Now _we're ready," my mother said, grasping my hand and leading me to the door where my father was waiting. He handed me some flowers which I soon realized was my bouquet. Purple and white calla lilies, the stems wrapped in a wide ivory ribbon and tied in a bow.

My dad took my mom on one arm and me on the other and led us down the stairs with the other three following behind us. Jasper and Jared were waiting at the bottom, near the door to the kitchen. I could hear music coming from the general direction of the kitchen/dining room area, and wondered where the ceremony was happening. I assumed that it'd be inside since it was so cold out, but when Jared and Jasper led my mom and Esme through the kitchen and outside along the path that I knew led to the gazebo, I was once again overcome with emotion.

The two of them—Jasper and Jared—didn't return, and I knew that that meant they had joined Edward and were going to be waiting up front... _in_ _my gazebo_. The music changed to a song I recognized as one that I'd heard in a lot of weddings, but I couldn't think of the title right now; my brain was still muddled from the events of the past hour. The time had sped by during the preparation process, and I couldn't even remember most of the past hour. Now, I watched Alice and Kim make their way through the kitchen and out the sliding glass door to the backyard. My father led me to that same door and we waited our turn. I could see a small group of people gathered in the gazebo, and I squinted a little, trying to recognize faces. Before I had any success in making them out, the music changed. I immediately recognized the tune as a traditional wedding song I had mentioned to Alice earlier in the week as the one I wanted for my wedding – "Canon in 'D' Major", by Pachelbel.

"Are you ready, Bells?" my dad asked gently.

I took a deep breath and swallowed thickly. "Yes, I'm ready dad."

I placed my hand on his proffered arm, and he took his other hand and patted my hand. "This one's the right choice," he assured me.

"I know."

"I guess you'll be needing this," he took Esme's cloak from my now shaking hand and draped it over my shoulders, fastening the single button in the front, and then he gently freed my hair from underneath, letting it flow down my back… an earlier time he had done this for me years ago, flashed in my memory, causing my eyes to fill once again. "Let's go baby girl."

He led me through the door down the purple runner that had been laid over the shoveled path between the house and gazebo. I was amazed at Edward's attention to detail; everywhere was decorated, the terrace just outside the door, the trees, the ground, and the gazebo itself, with everything I wanted; the white tulle, silk flowers and twinkle lights all around me. It was perfect. I wouldn't have changed a thing.

Time slowed down the moment I saw Edward standing there, and it was like I fell in love with him all over again. The air crackled, and it felt like magic or something. I could feel my heart beating in my chest, not out of fear or trepidation, but anticipation.

My dad led me to the place in the gazebo where Edward, our friends, and a minister I didn't recognize were standing. Alice took my flowers from me and Kim removed Esme's cloak and held it during the ceremony. The minister began to speak. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…"

Like I'd told my mom I wanted earlier in the week, we spoke the traditional vows with just a few minor alterations to them. Edward seemed to know that 'obey,' while I wasn't fundamentally opposed to, would give me some hesitation, so instead, I said love, honor, and cherish instead. That was something I knew I would have no problem doing as long as I lived. When it came time to exchange rings, my heart sank; because of the surprise, I hadn't purchased one for Edward. As if the magic that I'd felt in the air made its way through all aspects of this special event, not just Edward and me, Alice stepped forward and handed me a men's platinum wedding band. _Of course I shouldn't have worried about it. They've taken care of everything. Edward made sure of it._

At the minister's words, "You may now kiss your bride," Edward's smile was enough to make me feel like it was just the two of us; our dual elation had taken us to another planet. And then when he leaned in to place our first married kiss on my mouth, I was glad Alice was holding my flowers. I stretched up on my toes and wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him close. Our lips moved together perfectly, and knowing that I was married to him now somehow made this kiss more special than all the others we'd shared in the past six months. The emotion that was poured out by both of us made deepening the kiss unnecessary. I was with my prince; he'd saved me in my time of distress, and now he was mine forever. Nothing else mattered.

We separated to a round of applause from our guests and turned to face them. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to present to you Dr. and Mrs. Edward and Bella Cullen." Just then, Beethoven's _Ode To Joy_, the recessional march I'd also picked, began, as Alice handed me my calla lilies, Kim returned Esme's cloak to my shoulders and Edward freed my hair before he took my hand, leading me away from the heated gazebo, through the cold night, as it started to snow, lightly… these giant white flakes, falling from the heavens like confetti. It was so beautiful; magical really. We walked back into his parents' kitchen, into the warmth.

I reached up and put my arms around Edward's neck pulling him down to me and gave him a gentle kiss. "Thank you so much for doing this Edward: for the letter, for the wedding, for marrying me, for loving me. I love you so much."

"You're very welcome. I should be the one thanking you. I'm so relieved that you didn't mind it being a surprise."

"Not a bit. I don't know how you did it; I'm just glad you did." He helped me remove the cloak. "Oh and was that Angela and Ben I saw out there?" I asked Edward while we were still alone, but not for much longer. "And Jacob?"

"Yeah. I wanted you to have a few more of your friends here tonight."

"But how did you even know about Angela and Ben?" I didn't recall having mentioned them; in all honesty, my life had been so crazy the past six and a half months that I hadn't even thought much about them.

"I asked Alice."

It all made sense. "Alice is a good friend."

"She is," he agreed.

"And Bella, I want you to know, you look absolutely stunning, I'm a lucky man." He smirked.

"Thank you. You look pretty handsome there, too, Dr. Cullen. I think I'm the lucky one."

Even with the space heaters that had been brought out to the gazebo and some along the path —I was surprised again at the depth of planning that had gone into this affair—it was still Chicago in the middle of winter, and it was _cold._ So it wasn't long before the guests joined us.

Edward had arranged a catered dinner following the ceremony, and when everyone had finished, we moved to the living room where I was surprised to see that all the furniture had been moved out. _How did I not notice that before? _It was decorated with more white and lilac and purple, real flowers – roses and lily of the valley and calla lilies too and candles, so many candles casting their gentle radiance everywhere I looked; I felt like I was in a fairy tale castle. There was a small make-shift stage set up in one corner, and I saw a string quartet setting up and tuning their instruments. I wanted to ask how he'd managed all of this, but I knew that would be fruitless. Besides, I didn't want to spoil the night by constantly wondering and asking how he'd pulled it off.

Before the music started, Angela and Ben approached us. "Bella!" Angie squealed, pulling me into a hug.

"Oh, Angela, I'm so glad you made it," I gushed.

"I'm glad Edward called me. I had no idea you were even in a relationship, much less _engaged_," she told me.

"It's been a crazy six months, that's for sure."

She reached over and rubbed my baby belly. "I'll say."

"Oh, my god, I haven't even told you about the baby, have I?"

"Nope."

"I'm sorry, Ang. I don't know how I've gotten to be such a crummy friend."

"It's okay," she laughed. "I understand that life gets in the way sometimes. I haven't been much better; I could've called you many times in the past year, too, and I haven't. Maybe we can share the crummy friend responsibilities."

"Deal," I laughed.

"So, the last time I really knew, you were still living in Seattle. I was there, at you know, your other wedding as you know, but I never knew what happened; just that it got cancelled the last minute. Then I heard you went on a trip. What happened anyway, if you don't mind me asking? I mean we don't have to talk about this now, if you don't want to; jeez, today is not the day for this. I'm sorry, Bella."

I shushed her, not at all upset at filling her in on what had happened in my life; I told her my story with special emphasis on how Edward had been like the prince saving the 'damsel in distress.' Angela was appropriately shocked at the way things had turned out at my last wedding, and by the time we'd caught up, the music was starting. I looked around, and realized that for the first time all night, Edward wasn't by my side; Ben had gone, too. "I guess we scared the men away," I giggled. Angela laughed with me.

"You could never scare me away," Edward's silky voice whispered in my ear. I jumped slightly at the shock of him right behind me, but calmed quickly. "May I have this dance, Mrs. Cullen?"

My heart sped at the sound of my new name. Of course, I'd known that I'd take his name once we were married, because we had talked about it in passing, long ago, but hearing it fall from his lips was something special. "You may, Dr. Cullen," I replied, offering a small smile to Angela who smiled back in understanding.

We were alone on the dance floor for the first song, Edward leading me all around the room. We had eyes only for each other, and while I knew the others were watching us, I forgot about them. As the music came to a close, Edward leaned down and kissed me. We'd had so many chaste kisses today, that I didn't particularly care that his parents and my parents and our friends were watching us. I poked my tongue out, licking his bottom lip, silently begging for a deeper kiss. He smirked against my mouth before giving me what I wanted and our tongues began to move together. If I'd thought his smile had sent me to another planet, I was wrong; it was this kiss that did that. The magic that I'd been feeling all night crackled through the air, and I could've sworn that I saw fireworks flash behind my eyelids as we stood there kissing.

After what had to have been several minutes, we were interrupted by flashing lights; the photographer was snapping away. Edward pulled away and I sighed slightly at the break. "We have all night to do that," he whispered in my ear. "Hell, we have the rest of our lives to do that."

"That we do," I whispered back. The promise of things to come was enough to satiate me temporarily.

It was a good thing, too, because my dad came up then and tapped Edward on the shoulder. "May I cut in?" he asked.

"Of course." Edward graciously stepped aside and my dad placed his right hand gingerly on my waist and took my right hand in his left. He led me in a very traditional slow dance.

"I'm glad to see you so happy, Bells," he said near the end of the song.

"Thank you, Dad. I really am happy, too. I'm happier than I've been… well, as long as I can remember."

"That's important. Remember this day, how happy you are. They won't all be this good, and on the bad days, it's important to have somewhere to look as one of your happiest memories. It helps you to push past the hard time, knowing that it won't last forever that the good times are worth working for."

The quartet brought yet another song to a close and I hugged my dad, my eyes moist with tears, but I didn't want to mess up my makeup (again) or mark up his tux, so I blinked back the tears. "That's good advice. Thank you again. For everything. I love you, Daddy."

"I love you, too, Bells."

The rest of the night passed in a blur as I danced with just about everyone; Carlisle, Jasper, Jacob, even Felix had asked me for a few turns around the make-shift dance floor. By ten, I was exhausted, and Edward could tell. We'd gotten back together on the dance floor about half an hour previously, and he hadn't let me go again since. "Are you ready to go, love?" he murmured.

"Yes. I'm ready to go home and just be with you, my husband. Wow, I like the way that sounds even better than fiancé."

He smiled down at me. "Me too, and I'm ready to be with you, too, my wife, but we're not going home tonight."

I looked at him, confused. "Where are we going then?"

"We're spending the weekend in the fanciest hotel in Chicago, and leaving Sunday afternoon for our honeymoon."

"You were able to plan a honeymoon, too? On top of the wedding?"

"Indeed I was. I couldn't let you miss out on a honeymoon, now could I?"

"I love you," I said instead of answering that question.

"I love you, too. Shall we say our good byes?" He dropped his voice before continuing. "I love your dress, baby, but I'm anxious to get you out of it."

My stomach muscles tightened at the promise in that whisper. "Yeah, let's say good bye to everyone."

We made our way around the room, thanking all of the guests for coming, and I spent extra time with all the planners of my fairy tale thanking them for such a perfect day. Finally, Edward and I were able to extract ourselves from the party and he led me up the stairs to his old room. His jeans and gray tee were still lying on the bed, and someone had brought in a pair of my yoga pants and a tee shirt for me as well. How we managed to keep our hands to ourselves during the changing process, I'll never know, but we did, and before eleven, we were making our way to the front door. Amid a shower of birdseed, an unpleasant thought hit me. "We have to go home. We don't have any luggage for a weekend away, much less a full-on honeymoon."

"Oh, ye of little faith, everything's been taken care of. You should stop worrying tonight and trust me. My bag's been packed for three days, and your mom packed yours while you were napping this afternoon."

"Of course she did. Because you guys are perfect."

"Not perfect, just prepared. I didn't want you to have to do anything today."

"Well, mission accomplished. Thank you, Edward. Today was a fairy tale."

* * *

**Thanks guys! I'd love to hear your thoughts, but I'm so far behind in writing this story that I'm not gonna promise teasers this week, okay? I'm not saying that you won't get them, but I'm not going to guarantee them, either.**

**Just to give you a heads up, I project about 3, maybe 4 more chapters after this one. I just don't want you to be caught off guard when we get there, so I'm warning you now.**

**Reminder to Sexual Healing readers: Get us those Edward questions; this Wednesday is the last day to do that, and the interview will post on the blog next Monday. For those of you who aren't reading Sexual Healing, what are you waiting for? Scoot on over to my other profile, the one I share with my good friend and co-writer Caz and start reading! The link's on my profile, or you can run an author search for 'wmrcaz'.**

**Also, the FADV fundraiser is still going, until 28 February. Link for that is on my profile; I've got a PP outtake in the compilation. Foxy Fics starts on 1 March, and I've got a collab with the lovely SaritaDreaming in that compilation. Find a teaser for our piece on Sarita's profile (there's a link on mine for hers). The title is Speak Now. If you like what you read, donate to Foxy Fics during March and read the whole thing!**

**Okay, that's all I've got this week. Thanks for you patience in my lateness this week. See you next week… sometime.**


	39. The Fairy Tale Continues

**A/N: I don't own _Twilight. _**

**Special thanks to my friend Rory (the best pre-reader I could hope for). Without her, this story wouldn't be what it is today :).**

**And of course, thanks to you for reading.**

**Sorry for the delay this week. Real life, you know? I'm gonna try to get back on schedule for the last few chapters, but who knows… Thanks for understanding. Teasers won't be out until the weekend at least, just so you reviewers know what to expect.**

**Remember to check my profile for some of my other 'solo' work, and for links to my collab work. You won't be sorry!**

**Oh, and give me a little creative liberty with the first part of this chapter, okay? I know that doing a marriage certificate this way is neither realistic nor legal, but it works for fiction, right?**

**CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE: THE FAIRY TALE CONTINUES**

**Edward**

When we reached Reverend McAlistair during our good-byes, he reminded us that we needed to sign the wedding certificate so that he could submit it to the state now that we'd said our vows. We followed him over to the dining room table where he'd laid out all the paperwork, and the photographer and videographer followed us, capturing this moment as well as everything else they'd filmed tonight. We each signed our names on the allocated lines of the certificate, and the Reverend reminded us that he'd courier them into the courthouse first thing Monday morning. I shook his hand in thanks, and took Bella's hand in mine and we made our way back through the living-room-turned-reception-hall.

We made it through the guests without much more delay, and I led Bella up to the room I'd changed in, my old bedroom, and held her close to me for a moment. "I love you," I murmured. Even though this whole day had been my idea, my plan, someone had been one step ahead of me regarding our departure clothes; they'd put a comfortable outfit for Bella right next to my discarded jeans and gray t-shirt.

"I love you, too," she said, yawning. I glanced at the alarm clock still sitting on the bedside table, right where I'd left it when I'd moved out ten years before. It was well nearly eleven, and despite the fact that I knew she'd gotten a nap earlier, she still got tired easily because of the pregnancy. For this reason and as it was important to me to have Bella all to myself—before the stroke of midnight—tucked away in our hotel room, I wanted to make haste and be on our way.

"Let's get changed," I told her gently, turning her around to see how her dress was fastened. I expected a zipper, maybe a clasp at the top or something. What I didn't expect to see were thirty or forty little tiny buttons covered with slippery fabric—silk, I thought—that all had to be unfastened individually. _Who planned that?_ I was stunned when I finally managed to undo all the buttons and helped her to step out of her dress; underneath the white fabric of her wedding dress, she was wearing skimpy, lacy, white undergarments. I gulped, and somehow managed to help her into her casual clothes, even though I really just wanted to take her right then and there—bringing in the New Year alone in our hotel room together be damned! But as I wanted this day and this night to be as special as possible for Bella, I knew we needed to wait… just a little bit longer. So, I ignored the twitching in my pants and my pounding heart, and miraculously managed to calm down by the time she was dressed.

She returned the favor, running her fingers nimbly over my clothes, untying the tie and slipping it up over my head, then opening the buttons on the purple vest and white shirt, slipping both down over my shoulders. Something had changed in the past five minutes; she didn't look tired anymore. Now she looked… anxious. When I'd put my jeans and t-shirt back on, we left our wedding clothes on my bed; Jasper was going to return the tux to the rental shop, and my mom was going to have Bella's dress cleaned and stored.

As planned, there was a white limousine waiting out front of my parents' house to take us to the Trump Tower—my wedding-day gift to both of us. She looked up at me as soon as she saw it, her eyes once again glistening with tears. "Oh Edward, a limo, and it's even white… thank you. I didn't want to let go of you, not even to let you drive and now I won't have to." I was holding her hand and she stepped in front of me, putting her free arm around my waist to hold me to her, resting her head on my chest. She felt so good.

"You're very welcome, my love." I kissed the top of her head and she looked up at me and gave me a radiant smile. She blinked, and I saw another thought flash across her beautiful features. She went from awed to worried in a nanosecond. "We have to go home. We don't have any luggage for a weekend away, much less a full honeymoon." And then the look on her face changed just as quickly, she smirked with the realization that I had probably taken care of that as well. "Oh Edward, you didn't…"

I smirked at her, in return, "Oh ye of little faith," I told her, "everything's been taken care of. Trust me. I think I've taken care of everything we need. My bag's been packed for three days, and your mom packed yours while you were napping this afternoon."

"Of course she did. Because you guys are perfect."

"Not perfect, just prepared. I didn't want you to have to do anything today."

"Well, mission accomplished. Today was a fairy tale. Thank you, Edward."

Her words, her description of the day—a fairy tale—struck me as rather profound. It wasn't a phrase I heard much anymore, especially as a description of a real event. It made my heart swell, though, to know that she viewed today as that. I'd been about ninety-five percent sure that she was happy with the way the wedding had played out, but now, hearing her words as we made our way toward the limo amidst a shower of birdseed, I was sure.

The chauffeur was standing there, holding open the back door, and I paused just before helping Bella duck in. I cupped her face and leaned down, pressing my mouth firmly over hers. Our lips moved together for a moment, and the wedding guests standing at the door were now applauding us instead of tossing birdseed from the little packets. I pulled away and raised one hand up to them, waving farewell. My other hand dropped to Bella's stomach just in time to feel Harrison kick; it was as if he knew something special had happened today, too. I felt a grin stretch over my face, and after a minute of offering our farewells to the guests, I ushered Bella into the back seat of the limo. The driver shut the door behind us and I immediately pulled her onto into my lap, kissing her temple. "I'm glad you weren't upset with me for planning all of this without you. I did worry a bit after I approached my mom with the initial idea that you'd hate being left in the dark."

I was stopped when she placed two fingers over my mouth, hushing me. "The only thing that was kept a secret was the date. You managed to find out everything else I wanted, and I loved tonight. No more worrying about it." I smiled underneath her fingers and kissed the pads on her fingertips.

"I hope you don't mind, but I left a house key with Jasper, and another with your parents. You never know, they might have a need for a key to our place in the future sometime and they'll be staying there for the rest of the weekend."

"Of course I don't mind. Is it horrible that I didn't even think about what they'd do for the rest of the weekend with us gone?"

"No, love. This must have been a very overwhelming day for you. Besides, I won't tell them, but even if they knew, I'm sure they'd understand, too."

We rode the rest of the way in silence, just holding each other.

The car pulled to a stop and a few seconds later, the driver was opening the passenger side door for us. He offered his gloved hand to Bella to help her out as I helped her up from off my lap. She took his hand as I held the other; the trip to the hotel having ended far too quickly. He tipped his hat to us as we climbed out, offering a simple greeting of our names; when we were standing on the sidewalk, he shut the door and hurried to the back of the limo, pulling out our luggage, then followed us up to the door where the concierge took over. I thanked the limo driver and tipped him handsomely before leading my bride into the foyer of the grandest hotel in the city. "What do you think?" I asked her, excitedly.

"Edward, it's grand, all the glass and the high ceilings and the crystal chandeliers… everything sparkles," she replied. I smiled and took her hand pulling her in the direction of the check-in desk. I couldn't wait to show Bella our room – it looked pretty impressive on the web page anyway. I checked the time on my watch and it was 11:40.

"Sweetheart, we have twenty minutes, until the New Year, we made it just in time. And Bella, wait till you see our room."

x-x-x

**Bella**

We got off the elevator on the 17th floor and the bellboy led the way to our room, opened the door with a card-key and flicked on the lights as he unloaded our luggage from the cart. Edward slipped him a folded bill and reached down to pick me up, startling me at first when my feet left the floor. "Edward, what are you doing?" I giggled.

"I'm carrying my bride across the threshold." He carried me—wedding style—into the biggest, nicest hotel room I had ever seen. When the door was shut behind the bellboy, Edward walked into the middle of the room and twirled me around, then walked over to the window, which took up the entire wall—a window wall, I guess you could say.

"Oh my God, Edward, look at the lights from the buildings; we can see the river and the bridge and practically the entire city from here. It's so impressive; I had no idea how beautiful it would look from up here." He set my feet on the floor and helped me out of my coat and quickly removed his own, tossing them on this big comfy chair.

"I'll hang them up later; let's get the TV on for the count-down, its 11: 50, baby." I kicked off my shoes as did Edward and I turned around to really take in the lavish appearance of our room. It really was nice; it had royal blue walls and white furnishings everywhere, as well as the bedding, the couch, the chair the drapes… wow. I noticed the marble bathroom by the entrance across from the closet and leaning against the wall just in front of the bath was a huge king-size bed at that end of the room facing the enormous window at the other end with a sitting area located by the window. I looked from the bed to the coffee table in front of me and noticed there was a tray with crackers and various cheeses and strawberries and green and purple grapes as well as a bucket full of ice with a bottle sticking out—sparkling grape juice, no doubt—two flute glasses and white linen napkins.

"You thought of a snack and grape juice for toasting as well, wow."

"My mom thought of that. I can only take the credit for ordering it from room service."

"Well thanks for that and Edward, this room is really gorgeous; it must have cost you a fortune."

"Cost _us_ a fortune and well not quite, but I'm glad you like it. Come here Bella," he beckoned me with his index finger. I walked over to where he was standing, not sure what he wanted at first and there was a cabinet at the end of the bed and he asked me to press the button on the remote that was sitting on top. So I picked it up and pressed the key.

"Oh… my… God!" A huge flat screen sprung out of the top and ascended to a height above the cabinet. Edward told me what button to press next and the TV swiveled around to face the sitting area just as the picture came to life. "Is that ever cool," I murmured.

Edward grabbed my hand and took me back to stand by the window as the countdown was going to start very soon. He stood behind me with his chin on my shoulder and I rested my arms on his, as they were wrapped around my waist—what was left of it, anyway. We stood in front of the awesome view of the skyline, taking it all in, listening to the excitement from Times Square playing on the TV.

"How are you feeling Bella, you must be so tired." He kissed my shoulder repeatedly as he spoke.

"No I'm good. I have no doubt I will sleep like a baby later on but I'm surprisingly wide awake right now. I guess I'm still on a high from this incredible day." We reminisced about our wonderful wedding while the final few minutes dwindled down. And then just like that our wedding day was over as we heard Anderson Cooper and the crowd of people in the Big Apple shouting, "ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, Happy New Year!" we both said at the same time. I turned around to face my husband.

"Happy New Year, Bella, my beautiful wife," he said as I put my arms around his waist and he pressed his lips to mine. We heard the fireworks going off on the TV and watched a bit of the Chicago light show happening just outside our window from the couch. I sat on Edward's lap and we toasted, and drank and ate some of the refreshments, which I must say came in handy because I was hungry again and I think Edward was too. Not long after we ate, he shifted me off his lap to sit on the couch, stating he would be right back. He grabbed both of our coats and hung them up— I wasn't sure why he felt he had to do that right then—and then he bolted the top lock on the door to the corridor and turned to face me.

I knew from his actions in his old bedroom—the way his eyes had darkened slightly, and how his fingers had almost fumbled over the buttons on my wedding dress; I think I even noticed him adjusting his pants at one point—that he wanted me. And honestly, I wanted him, too; it was late, but I was a lot less tired now than I had been an hour ago when we'd started saying good bye to our wedding guests. I smiled at the memory of his pants-adjusting now; it seemed silly that he'd think he needed to hide that reaction from me. It actually made me feel good about myself that I caused that reaction in him. Not that I had self esteem issues in the first place, but I was getting bigger with each passing day, and some days were better than others on the good-self-esteem front. Today, I felt like a princess… a princess who was ready to spend some naked time with her prince.

We gazed at each other from across the room for what felt like a long time but was actually probably only a moment or two, then walking over to me, Edward kneeled down on the royal-blue, carpeted floor in front of me and took my right hand in both of his, turning it palm side up, he placed a small, cube-shaped present, wrapped in silver shiny paper onto my fingers. "Open it," he instructed, "I simply couldn't resist." I wasted no time tearing off the paper revealing a little black velvet box and I smiled as I opened it, gasping when I saw the beautiful stud earrings,

"Edward, their gorgeous, oh my God, they look just like my engagement ring," I gushed. "I love them Edward, and I love you. Thank you so much." I threw my arms around his neck and kissed his face several times and then he pulled away just a bit to slip them from their perch in the box and helped me put them in my ears. All I could think of when he did that is that I didn't have anything for him… not yet anyway, but maybe there was something I could do to rectify the situation just a bit.

"Edward come with me," I whispered in his ear, grasping his hands and pulling him toward me and then leading him to the bed. Before I sat down on the luxurious-looking, king size bed, I allowed my fingers to flirt with the hem of Edward's t-shirt. I was feeling a little nervous, not at all like the first time we were together, but still I felt the significance of this day—our wedding day. It was our first time together as husband and wife—obviously—and I wanted it to be special and I knew Edward did too.

I slid my slightly shaky hands up underneath his shirt, rubbing my fingertips over his abs, and when I went a little higher and rubbed his nipples with my thumbs, he hissed at the contact. I reached for the bottom of his shirt and pushed it up over his chest. He lifted his arms up, and I pushed the gray fabric over his head and deposited it on the floor behind him.

He reached down suddenly, gripped me behind the knees, and tipped me backwards onto the bed. I inhaled sharply, mostly out of surprise, but the bed was so soft and pillow-like that of course I wasn't hurt at all. It offered an immense amount of give underneath me, and I barely even bounced. Edward's hands reached around me until they were sandwiched between my bottom and the bed; he grabbed the elastic top of my yoga pants and pulled them and my panties down in one fell swoop. I felt my mouth drop open slightly as I gaped at him. "Don't get me wrong, baby," he whispered, "but it's been a long week. With all the secret planning, I was horribly neglectful of you this week, and I'm feeling it myself now."

I gulped and nodded. He was right; I didn't really think about it at the time, but he'd been so busy during the days and my mom and Alice had kept me going all day long, too—to keep me distracted, I now realized—that we hadn't been intimate all week long.

Edward pulled me up by my hands, off the bed until I was in a standing position again, my knees against the bed and Edward standing in front of me, pushing his hips against mine, conveying his arousal to me. He leaned down and kissed me, slipping his tongue into my mouth, and as I returned his eager kiss, I found my hands fumbling over the button of his jeans.

I managed to get his pants open and free him from the confines of the denim. I slipped my hand down inside his boxers without pushing either the jeans or underwear off his hips. I pumped my hand up and down a few times, rubbing my thumb over his tip. He hissed at the contact, and it didn't take long before he grabbed my hand, halting my movements. "At the risk of sounding like a teenager who's about to get laid for the first time, I'm not gonna last long, especially if you do much more of that." With one hand still gripping my wrist, he somehow maneuvered my shirt up over my head and off until it was hanging between us. He drew our joined hands out of his pants and let go of mine, allowing my top to fall to the carpeted floor. I felt incredibly exposed and vulnerable, but I knew that was ridiculous; this was Edward, my _husband _and we'd been together before. I wasn't sure what was different this time, but it all melted away when he murmured, "God, you're beautiful."

I felt my skin flush, but before it could turn into a full blush, his lips were crashing into mine again. I raised my arms up to his shoulders, wrapping him in a tight hug before threading my fingers into his hair. I kept them there for just a moment before I realized that Edward was still clothed from the waist down. My hands dropped from his hair at the same time he deepened the kiss, making me feel so incredibly loved, more than ever before. I rested my hands on his hips for just a few seconds, then hooked my thumbs into the waistbands and, taking a cue from Edward, pulled his jeans and boxers down together. I remembered what he'd said about being worried that he'd cum too quickly, but standing there kissing him, with him completely naked and me wearing only my white, lacy bra, I couldn't keep my hands off of him. I wrapped my fingers around his erection, stroking up and down a few times; Edward groaned at the contact and slipped his hand between my legs. I immediately gasped with the suddenness of his touch. He continued to rub his hand over me, cupping my sex and spreading my ever-increasing wetness all over before he finally plunged two fingers into me and stroked my interior walls until I was gasping and panting. My hand fell away from him involuntarily. I couldn't focus on anything else while he was doing that to me.

And then, suddenly, he wasn't. His had disappeared, and my eyes, which I hadn't remembered closing, popped open just in time to see him pull the covers down on the bed. I made to climb onto the bed, but Edward stopped me. "Not yet." He reached behind me and unclasped my special wedding-day bra, slipping the shoulder straps down my arms until it fell to the floor between us. He reached one hand behind my back and one underneath my knees, and picked me up bridal-style, and laid me gently in the center of the bed before carefully climbing on top of me, taking extra caution around the baby bump that was so prevalent a part of my figure now. "I love you, Bella," he murmured, sliding his full length into me.

He paused for a moment, letting us both revel in the feeling of being together again after a full week without having sex. I hadn't realized that I felt incomplete before, but I knew now that I had been missing something all week long. I'd been missing Edward and not even realizing it. "I love you," I whispered, stroking his back with my fingertips, coaxing him to start moving. I loved feeling him just like this, but with the reminder that it had been so long, I was also feeling very anxious and desperate for the feel of him moving deep inside me. I lifted my hips slightly, and that was enough to spur him on. He moved slowly at first, and I rubbed myself against him every time he thrust into me. Within a matter of minutes, though, his speed had increased and I could tell by his labored breaths that he was close, _too close_. "Touch me." My voice was nearly a plea; as much as I wanted to feel him cum inside me that was not all I wanted and I'm sure coming before me was the last thing he wanted, too.

"God, I love it when you ask me to touch you," he panted, complying with my request. His touch was like magic, and within just a few strokes, I felt that familiar tightening in my belly, as my legs started to shake and my toes tightened up. I wrapped my legs around Edward's waist just as an involuntary scream left my throat that sounded something like his name, though I wasn't sure. I came hard around him, and came back to earth just in time to feel him release into me. His thrusts slowed down as he reached the end of his orgasm, and he carefully lay down next to me, rolling me over onto my side rather than pulling out just yet. He kissed my forehead, then each of my eyelids, the tip of my nose, my chin, and finally my mouth. I returned the kiss, feeling completely lost in my post-coital bliss.

We spent most of Saturday in the hotel bed, occasionally getting up to use the facilities, or to answer the door for our room-service brunch, but mainly we spent our time snuggling in bed watching movies and taking in the glorious view of the city from the window wall, and making love, languidly and blissfully without a care in the world. It was heaven, to say the least. I would've been completely happy spending our entire honeymoon in our gorgeous room, but as evening approached, Edward insisted on bundling us up and taking me out for a stroll along the 'Chicago River Walk'—a scenic pedestrian walkway along the river's edge and taking me to an Italian Restaurant also in walking distance from the hotel. The eatery was a quaint little place with lanterns affixed to the walls, candles on every cast-iron table covered with white linen table clothes, Italian music—traditional instrumental and vocals playing soothingly in the background and authentic Italian dishes, prepared from scratch daily. As soon as we walked into the establishment the aroma of the glorious food assaulted our senses with raptures scents of warm breads and pasta making me instantly ravenous. "Welcome to 'Coco Passo Restaurante', do you have a reservation, Sir?"

"Yes under the names Dr. and Mrs. Cullen."

"Yes, Dr. Cullen, your table is ready for you and Mrs. Cullen; right this way." _Of course a reservation… why does that not surprise me? He really did think of everything._ The hostess brought us to a round table—a darkened corner—in the back; it had a semi-circular booth wrapped around it with a tall lit candle poking out of a bottle of Chianti, providing the majority of the lighting. Edward helped me out of my warm winter clothing as the young woman took her leave.

"Edward, it's so charming here, I absolutely love it." I smiled up at him appreciatively as I slid into the booth.

"I thought you might; and it came highly recommended."

On Sunday morning, as I was basking in the feel of the 500-thread-count Bellino-sheets and of Edward's bare chest under my finger tips, he tickled me with first the arm he had around me, and then the other he draped across me.

"Love, we are going to have to get up soon, because as much as I would like to… we can't spend the entire day in this room, we have a flight to catch."

"Yes I know, but you can't blame me if I want to stay here as long as I possibly can… you are entirely too tempting my handsome husband. But now that you mention it, we took a limo from your parents' house to here. How are we getting to the airport?"

"I thought you'd want to see your parents and Alice one more time since we won't be here when they leave on Monday. So Jasper's driving my dad's Mercedes SUV and they're all coming to see us off, except my dad and mom. My parents have offered to stay home this time so that there's room for everybody; they know that we're coming back here after and that they'll see us all the time. They want you to be able to see your parents before they leave."

"That's so nice," I murmured, somewhat emotionally.

"Speaking of, though, we need to get ready, love. They should be here in about…" he trailed off, glancing over at the alarm clock on the hotel's nightstand. "Well, in about an hour giving us barely enough time to shower, dress, pack and check out. So up you go!" He playfully swatted me on my butt and then offered me his hand to help me out of bed.

"Okay," I finally agreed. I wondered where he was taking me for the rest of our honeymoon, but after the surprise wedding, I knew better than to ask. He wouldn't get irritated with me, but he wouldn't offer any details, either; I was sure of that. We climbed out of the bed and showered together, washing each other thoroughly and sweetly, then dried and dressed. Because Edward knew—and had told me—that we'd only be staying here for one full day and two nights, we hadn't bothered unpacking our suitcases very much, so repacking wasn't something that required much work. Although we could have sent our used clothing home with my family, I decided to bring them opting to have them dry-cleaned when we arrived at our next destination, since I really didn't have very much clothing that still fit me properly. So we just gathered up our dirty clothes and put them in a plastic bag and zipped them into our luggage. We were ready and waiting in the lobby when Edward's phone buzzed with the call from Jasper telling us they had arrived.

The drive to the airport was great. I spent the time talking to my parents and Alice, getting their promises that they'd be back in a few months for Harrison's birth. Alice even whispered in my ear that she wished she didn't have to go back at all, and I wondered how much of that was that I was here, and how much was that Jasper was here. I whispered back that she should move here. "There are Macy's stores all over the country, Alice. It's not like you're tied to Seattle."

She looked thoughtful, and gave me a mischievous smile, I could tell that my suggestion was not a novel idea to her at all, which led me to wonder if she and Jasper had already talked about Alice transferring to Chicago… "I'll think about it," she promised.

"Alice we really need to talk when I get home."

"Oh Bella there will be so much to talk about when you get home," she giggled.

Jasper pulled into the passenger drop off area at O'Hare, and Edward and I said good-bye to everyone in the truck; there was no reason for them to bustle through the airport with us when they wouldn't be able to get through security anyway, since their tickets were for the following day. I hugged my parents and whispered the standard "Good-bye" and "I'll miss you" wishes in their ears. My dad even looked like he was tearing up, especially when I kissed him on the cheek. When we'd all said our good-byes, Edward picked up a luggage cart and loaded it up with our two carry-on bags, matching suitcases, my lap-top and even my purse which he sat right on top. Then he took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before wrapping it around his arm and grabbed onto the handle of the cart, as I waved one last time at my parents and Jasper and Alice. We walked through the terminal in silent reverie, taking in our surroundings and glancing at each other often as I wondered where he was taking me. We eventually came to a stop behind a crowd of people all lined up with their suitcases and I gasped as realization dawned on me; he'd led me to the international counter. "International?" I asked.

"I know, or at least I think I know, that you've always wanted to go to London, baby, and when it came up on the travel agency website, I knew I had to take you there."

I felt my eyes pop open and my jaw drop. "London?" I gasped.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts on the first weekend of the honeymoon; next week, we'll hit London :).**


	40. Just the Two of Us

**A/N: I don't own Twilight. Still. Sigh.**

**Special shout out to my good friend, Rory. Her expert Googling, writing, and editing made this chapter all that it is! She's been an incredible asset to this whole story, but especially this chapter. Thanks bb :).**

**As always, thanks also to all of you for reading, putting me on your story alerts, adding me to your favorites list, and reviewing my story. It really means a lot to me.**

**Ready to head to London?**

**CHAPTER FORTY: JUST THE TWO OF US**

**Bella**

We arrived at Heathrow airport at six o'clock in the morning U.K. time—London is six hours ahead of Chicago and the flight was nearly eight hours long. I was glad that we had gotten direct flight from O'Hare. After the in-flight dinner and sometime during the movie (_Salt)_ I fell asleep; I found out later Edward did too, thank goodness, so we slept for about six hours, nearly most of the way, making arriving at midnight Chicago time slightly easier to bear. By the time we retrieved our luggage from the baggage-carousel—having already gone through customs at the Chicago end of our journey—we navigated the maze that was the London airport, boarded a taxi (a cute little yellow Mini Cooper) and headed straight to our hotel. I could hardly believe we were actually in London or what I was about to see.

"Edward, don't tell me we are staying here… there is no way we are staying at the Ritz… is there?" I asked with a completely stunned look on my face… no doubt.

"Yes, love, we're staying at The London Ritz Carlton Hotel, in one of the more reasonably priced rooms that is."

"But Edward, it's…"

"Hush now, Bella, the room I picked wasn't any more expensive than what the Hilton was charging. Besides, we can afford it for seven nights, so don't worry about it. It's our honeymoon and I won't have my wife staying in a dump."

I clamped my mouth shut, forcing myself not to argue with him anymore, as I knew there was no point. I knew he was just trying to make our honeymoon as perfect as our wedding and I couldn't be mad at him for that. This was a conversation for another day, though, as even though it was a nice gesture—Edward always wanting to take care of me—and definitely from his heart, his leaving me out of the details of financial matters had to stop, but today was not _that day_ and I knew it.

I pasted a smile on my face and held Edward's hand as we exited the taxi and gazed at this veritable palace that looked like a turn-of-the century French Chateau—the London Ritz in all its old-world charm and spectacle. And what a place to behold; with stone arches, a wide staircase, white pillars and arches, ornately carved wood framed windows and doors and doormen dressed like castle guards in their red coats and fancy hats. As spectacular as the Trump Hotel was with its ultra modern edginess, all glass and windows, the London Ritz was the epitome of restored (or maintained) antique sophistication and elegance from a time gone by.

The taxi driver unloaded our luggage as the hotel staff loaded it on a trolley and we followed them into the hotel. It was so luxurious, with high ceilings that had intricate scenes painted on them, fountains and antique furnishings, Cornish moldings, tapestries, gold statues and Asian rugs on granite floors. It was breathtaking, and I felt so out of place. By the time we checked in it was just after eight a.m. London time, but our room would not be available until after three in the afternoon. Luckily, they offered to stow our luggage and deliver it to our room later, which we gladly accepted, freeing us up for the entire day. As tired as I was, I still felt pretty good, excited to start our London adventure. _Thank goodness we were able to sleep on the plane._

Seeing as though we had some time to kill, we decided to go for a walk to check out our neighborhood and find a restaurant. We could have eaten in the hotel but I knew if I did that I would probably have just fallen asleep once the good food started digesting in my belly. I needed some fresh air and at least a brief walk—we both did—to give us the energy to last until our heads could 'hit the pillow.' Being in the heart of downtown London—the Piccadilly area of Manchester actually—we came across a bakery/café in no time called The Bagel Factory. It was an American style restaurant that served breakfast and brunch and it could not have been more perfect for what we were looking for—a place to relax, where the food was familiar—we had plenty of time to enjoy the 'taste of the country' when we were well rested.

"So, what do you want to do today, baby?" Edward asked, his fingers primed and ready on the keyboard of my laptop. We decided to bring it with us to the restaurant in the hopes that we could find some free wireless and The Bagel Factory had that as well.

"You mean besides sleep," I asked as I fought off a yawn, "I mean sleep with you?" I winked.

"Yes, besides, that, something that is going to occupy our time for the next six or seven hours, give or take?" He stroked my arm up and down with his long fingers as we sat side by side in the booth.

We spent a couple of hours at the restaurant coming up with not only what we were going to do for the rest of the day, but also an entire itinerary for the rest of the week, choosing to have theme days that were not too 'jam packed' full of things we had to accomplish, because ultimately we both agreed that even though we wanted to see as much of the sights as possible, this was our honeymoon first and foremost and we did not want to tire ourselves out going to too many tourist traps; the most important thing to us we agreed, was spending time together.

We ended up deciding to take the Tour of London on our first day aboard a double-decker bus, partly because it took up two hours and provided a comfortable place to rest and take in the sights. As it turned out I didn't get to see very much as I fell asleep soon after taking my seat, snuggled up in Edward's warm arms. Before heading back to the hotel we killed the last hour riding the giant 443-foot high Ferris Wheel—The London Eye; it was located two minutes away from The Ritz and we figured it would be a great way to see a lot of the city, at the same time avoiding the crowds while we were at it. We got to see from the air: Big Ben, The Tower Bridge, The Tower of London, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Millennium Bridge, The Parliament Buildings, St. Paul's Cathedral and even Buckingham Palace. We saw all of those grand old places and lots more and I was awestruck with the parks and architecture I saw from the glass capsule we rode in, all the while holding onto Edward for dear life because I was afraid of heights.

Of course, we re-visited some of those places during our stay, because as Edward pointed out, this would likely be the last trip we would take together _just the two of us_ for a long time so we tried to fit in all the places and experiences that were most important to us. Edward also made me a promise that seemed to be tinged with a note of melancholy,

"I'll bring you back someday," he said as his mouth turned up on one side revealing his half smile that did not touch his eyes. I knew instantly what he was thinking without having to hear him say it; we didn't have to fit everything into this, one week, because we would be coming back, but the next time it would be the three of us, as we wouldn't be just the two of us again for at least the next eighteen years. It was a bittersweet thought, and I instantly felt guilty for having had it.

x-x-x

Our next seven days were filled with some amazing times together; the itinerary we came up with really was perfect for us, and looking back, I wouldn't change a thing.

Tuesday we went to Buckingham Palace in the morning and to Kensington Palace in the afternoon, because I thought it would be fun to see the interiors even more than the exteriors. We got to see both as the lines -ups were practically non-existent, maybe because of the time of year.

The other reason I had for wanting to see Kensington Palace in particular was I wanted to see the statue of Peter Pan that was erected in a garden on the grounds of the Castle. I wanted to take some pictures of Edward and me standing with Peter to show Harrison one day. We got quite a few including a rather cute one of Edward smiling at Peter. They looked just like father and son.

Wednesday was our day trip excursion to South West England—Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Moorland areas to see the English country side, and the English Riviera with its cliffs and coves and beaches with miles of rocky shoreline. We thought we would pack a few snacks for the bus ride and eat lunch or have tea at one of the seaside Inns or Resorts on the way. We ended up doing all three.

Thursday was our Church day, St. Paul's Church in the morning and Westminster Abbey in the afternoon both of which were walking distance from our hotel and absolutely breathtaking.

Edward said Friday would be 'date night'; he told me we would do nothing too strenuous during the day, probably breakfast at the hotel, a little light shopping in the area, a nap in the afternoon and then he said we had plans for the evening, but he was rather vague with the details; he simply said we would be dressing up a little. He was sure full of surprises, but this was the man who gave me my perfect wedding, wedding night and honeymoon destination as a surprise so was I worried about what he had in mind for Friday night? Hell no; now curious, that was another matter all together.

Saturday was our 'tribute to The Beatles' day. This took some convincing on my part as Edward really did not want to take me to Liverpool because _apparently_, "It's not safe there, Bella, it's a rough part of town… too dangerous, I'm not taking you there."

He ended up giving in when he read the reviews on the web about The Grapes Pub—the favorite hangout of the band members where the booth they used to sit at was still there, all cordoned off, The Cavern Club—a rebuilt replica of the original—where they played over three hundred concerts, and The Cavern Pub—a pub created in their honor, which had tons of memorabilia including a record wall of fame featuring all the Liverpool Groups who attained #1 in record sales, including The Beatles, of course, pictures of the 'Fab Four,'anda statue of John Lennon. The website said it was a quiet street during the day except for mostly tourists and Beatles' fans and the three places are located on the same corner, so we could take the train and then a cab right there and back, which was exactly what we ended up doing.

We agreed we would return to Manchester for dinner and therefore avoid any possibilities of night-life rowdiness as well. And in keeping with at least part of the theme for the day we decided to eat at The Grapes Pub for lunch and Doggett's Pub back in Manchester for dinner, which was located a couple of miles from the Ritz, so we took a cab both ways.

Sunday was shopping and packing day, which was fitting because it was our last full day in London; our return flight was on Monday. We spent part of the day packing and lounging around the hotel room having a bath together again in that exquisite old tub—I was going to miss that tub—making love in the afternoon and going out for dinner to The Mezzanine Restaurant. It was a lovely place with a wide variety of foods on the menu; it was a European style restaurant with a spectacular view of the River Thames, and was located not too far from our hotel.

We completed our shopping on Sunday as planned, which consisted of mainly gifts, thank you presents for everyone who helped us with our wedding. The items we decided on were cashmere sweaters for Jasper, Edward and my dad, in blue, green and brown, respectively and tartan scarves for my mom, Esme, Alice and Kim. Edward thought Carlisle and Jared would prefer 'Poor-boy' wool/felt hats and I decided on purchasing an additional gift for Edward's mom for allowing us to have our beautiful wedding in her home, with all the additional work that went along with that; I thought a Wedgewood covered bowl for candy or small jewelry would be something she would like and I decided to purchase one for me as well.

We walked by a professional football clothing and accessories store, I guess for fans of the teams and Edward decided he wanted to add to our earlier purchases, matching Manchester Football jerseys for himself, Harrison and me. I thought that was a great idea.

x-x-x

"Bella… Love, wake up the alarm went off… it's time for tea." We returned to the hotel on our first day after seeing some of the sights, very much looking forward to seeing our room, taking a bath or shower and getting a little sleep. We were very happy to find that not only was our room ready a little earlier than expected but our luggage had already been delivered as well. And the room did not disappoint either. Never in all my life had I seen a prettier, more elegant and delicately soft and comforting room as this one. It was called a Superior King Room, all light pink and cream colors, silk linens and billowing draperies, embroidered pillows, plush velvet chairs, French provincial furniture—I later found out was themed after Louis XVI designs—a vanity table with chair, high ceilings with Cornish moldings, an original fireplace with a gas insert that we made use of, a crystal chandelier and a gloriously large bathroom with gold faucets and an old fashioned claw-foot bathtub. Our beautiful bed was so over stuffed and soft I had to wonder if it was filled with feathers; it was the most comfortable bed I could possibly imagine. When I asked Edward why he chose this room, because clearly it was very feminine, he said, "When I saw it, it reminded me of you… it made me think of all the classical literature you love, the Bronte sisters and Jane Austen's _Pride and Prejudice_ and I imagined you here and then I knew I wanted to stay here with you too."

We decided on that first day we would set the alarm clock so we wouldn't sleep too long as the only way to get used to a time zone change is to stay up and go to bed when the locals do, however, we thought a couple of hours of shut-eye before dinner would probably be okay. So that's what we did, we got up with the alarm even though neither one of us really wanted to, got dressed and went down stairs opting for "High Tea" instead of a heavy meal.

The choice of this tea-ritual turned out to be a great idea as neither of us were really very hungry due to feeling a little disoriented from irregular sleep and jetlag and we just enjoyed our time together and the mini servings of about ten different appetizer and desert type foods, all elegantly presented on the fanciest china dinnerware for each of us and of course tea—we picked English Breakfast and Earl Gray. We really enjoyed ourselves and took our time tasting everything and sipping our tea for a big chunk of the evening. Afterwards, we went for a short walk around the neighborhood before returning to our room, unpacking and crawling back into bed. We made love that night for the first time 'across the pond' as they say. Afterward, I don't think I ever slept so well in all my life.

x-x-x

My two favorite days of our honeymoon trip, if I had to choose, were the excursion trip to the English countryside and coastline along the beach; and the date night Edward arranged all ahead of time from Chicago for us to enjoy. I still couldn't believe he'd done that, planned a whole night for us from so far away, but then again why should I be surprised since he is the most romantic, thoughtful and giving man I have ever known and I thank God every day that he fell in love with me just as surely and completely as I fell in love with him.

"Are you almost ready, Bella?" Edward walked over to me and put his hands on my shoulders and kissed the top of my head while I finished putting some lotion on my face that has sun-block in it, as we planned on being outdoors for at least part of our day.

"Almost, I just need one more minute."

"Well you can have two… just in case." He smirked, turned around and walked out of the bath and into the main room to put his hiking boots on. I had a pair too, but mine were already on. We left shortly after and walked down to that American Style Café we went to on our first day. We ordered a simple breakfast of toast, eggs and bacon plus some bagels with cream cheese, cookies, and juices in a paper bag to-go. Edward put them in our backpack along with the two complimentary waters we'd snagged from our room earlier.

We boarded the tour bus which was not red or double-decker this time, but rather just a normal coach with comfortable padded seating that even reclined, a 'loo,' as they say, in the back and Edward sitting by my side. Once we had ridden on the bus for a short while, we were driving through some of the most beautiful countryside I had ever seen: old stone houses and churches, rolling hills and valleys, with a light sprinkling of snow in places but mostly we could see the sleepy hollows of nature—grass, trees, vines and streams—just waiting for a little warmth to spring them from their slumber. I could only imagine how beautiful this area would be in two months or so. We stopped for lunch after driving along the coast line for a bit, at a Seaside Resort right on a cliff overlooking the water below. They called this area the English Riviera and I could see why; it seemed to combine the old with the new: cobblestone roads and villages with little shops along the way, as well as luxury resorts and inns spread out along the cliffs and shore line.

We left our bag on the bus and joined the other patrons of the tour in the restaurant of a resort for a traditional British meal in a beautiful windowed terrace room with the most breathtaking view of the rocky shore line below. As soon as we finished eating we left the group and headed down to the beach for the remainder of our time there, while the others seemed to flee in separate directions as well, to shop in the town or take in the sights of the quaint little area, I wasn't sure.

"I think you have an admirer."

"Ah, yes, that would be Ms. Walker, I presume."

""_You can call me Margaret, Edward,""_ I mimicked in a sultry voice, "I thought she would never stop talking, and the way she kept touching your arm."

"You noticed that, did you?"

"Hard not to. And when you told her your full name and she realized you're a doctor, she moved her chair so close she was practically sitting on your lap." We both laughed at the memory.

"Well it's always nice to know, if you get tired of me, Mrs. Cullen, I have other options."

"Oh, Edward, like I could ever get tired of you." He smiled down at me and I squeezed his arm that was linked with mine, with my other hand. We walked across part of the shoreline that seemed to stretch forever—twenty-two miles, I learned later—and breathed in the fresh air and listened to the sounds of the serf, the light breeze and Edward's voice laughing and sharing tales from his childhood, times he spent with his family on beaches probably a lot like that one I bet.

After awhile, we headed back toward where our bus was parked and sat on a bench outside an inn and just enjoyed each other and our surroundings in quiet understanding of how lucky we were to be there and be together. Time, precious time alone together, was the very best part of our holiday and we appreciated every minute of it.

I was all tucked into Edward's side as he kept me warm in his embrace, when out of the blue it started to rain. "Come on," he said, pulling me up, "let's go inside." We ran inside, hand in hand laughing all the way and we stopped just through the entrance; Edward reached down to kiss me. "I hope it's okay, but we can't stay long," Edward said to the person working the front desk, "my wife needs to use the loo and we would like two Earl Greys in to-go cups if that's okay; we have to catch up with our tour."

We were directed around the corner to where the washrooms were; there were two self- contained rooms, unisex both, with floral wallpaper and pedestal sinks, so old-fashioned and feminine looking. Edward surprised me when he pulled me into one of the rooms and shut the door, locking it behind him as he kissed me and walked me backward, capturing me in his arms with my back against the wall. I ran my fingers through his wet hair, kissing him back. He still tasted like tea from lunch.

"Edward, we can't, what if we get caught?"

"We won't, baby," he whispered in my ear. And before I could say anything more, his lips were back on mine, so soft and warm, kissing me sweetly, and then he slipped his tongue against mine.

I held him tightly to me, my hands clinging to his chest while his moved to my hips; he pushed up against me, his hardness pressed between us. I couldn't help it; my body responded to him in the most delicious of ways. His mouth was driving me crazy and the way he felt against me, it was like he was overpowering my self-control and I simply couldn't help how much I wanted to feel him inside me, right then and there.

While my lips were still on him I pushed him back far enough to slip my hands between us so I could undo the button closure on his pants and we stopped kissing then as we sought permission to continue in each other's eyes. Edward took over where I started, undoing his zipper fly and letting his jeans and boxer-briefs slide down his thighs, untied his boots, kicked them off and quickly helped me do the same with mine. He laid his jacket out on the floor and then held my hand while I stepped out of my panties and yoga pants before lowering us both to the floor.

"You're so beautiful Bella," he said as he leaned over me, gazing in my eyes and kissed me slowly, then moved to between my legs and inside me, halting his movements for me to adjust.

"Don't stop Edward, I need to feel you," I reassured him.

"I love you," he said, as he kissed my forehead and then my lips.

"I love you too."

x–x-x

The week went by so quickly and before I knew it, it was 'date night.' Edward was so excited to tell me what he had planned that he simply couldn't wait any longer, giving up on his original idea to simply have the day unfold. After we finished our breakfast—we had ordered room service—he powered up my laptop and pulled me beside him on our bed.

"Bella, check this out, didn't you have to read this play in school in what, tenth or eleventh grade?"

"Yeah, tenth… it made me cry… but you already knew that didn't you? Edward, are we going to see, _Les __Misérables_? In the city where the English version of the play originated? Let me see my laptop… over twenty-five years ago and has played continuously ever since?"

"Yes, love." He gave me his cocky half smile.

"Oh my God, Edward." I climbed up on my knees and threw my arms around his neck, kissing him all over his face. "Thank you so much! It feels like it's my birthday or something. I can't believe this; you really outdid yourself Dr. Cullen… yet again."

In addition to the theater tickets, Edward had made reservations for us to go out for dinner at a family run, authentic Italian restaurant with Northern Italian Cuisine called Franko's Ristorante Pizzeria located right around the corner from The Queen's Theater, where we had orchestra seat tickets for the show. The food was really amazing at Franko's; just as mouth watering there as it had been at Coco Passo's Ristorante in Chicago, except the décor was completely different. Whereas Coco's was very romantic with subdued lighting throughout, Franko's was bright and cheery making you feel like you were sitting outside in a little Italian courtyard. It had faux windows with shutters and olive and grape vines everywhere, stucco walls painted white, dark wood wainscoting, little oak tables and matching chairs, white linen tablecloths, and Chianti and olive oil bottles suspended from the ceiling. I loved it… we both did.

We spent part of the day in our hotel and part of it in the neighborhood, walking together holding hands and just relaxing, enjoying each other's company, and after lunch and our nap in the afternoon I took a bath in 'my' antique tub, alone this time so I could shave my legs; Edward had already taken a shower. We got dressed up for our date, Edward in his dark gray suit, white shirt and black skinny tie and me in my only maternity dress—other than my wedding gown—in navy blue. It had three quarter sleeves, a square neck and an empire waste and went down to about my knees.

We took a cab to the restaurant and walked to the theater afterward; after the show, we took a cab back to the Ritz. I had never seen _Les __Misérables_ before, only read the book, but it was as mesmerizing and sad and moving as the written words had been; the fact that I had attended the performance with Edward, and that it was he who had thought of this wonderful date night all on his own, bought the tickets simply because he wanted to surprise me and make me happy, _that_ truly made the evening really special to me… really special to both of us. The show brought tears to my eyes more than once partly due to the actors telling the tale and partly because of the beautiful man sitting beside me. I glanced at him many times throughout the performance as he held my hand and thanked him again and again with my eyes for not only his gift but for just being him.

The whole way back to the hotel in the cab Edward held me in his arms, my head against his chest, one of my arms around his waist, and we didn't talk, just exchanged knowing glances; I needed him and he needed me. Sometimes, like that night, it felt like there was this pull between us like some kind of a force field, holding us together and if we separated for even an instant we would break apart. I just couldn't wait to be back in our room and in our bed where we could keep the world out, touching and holding and feeling connected, whole and complete.

We rode the elevator up to our floor in complete silence and we entered our room and took our clothes off without even a word or stopping to turn on the light. We left the drapes open so we could still see each other from the lights of the city and pulled back the covers as we crawled into bed. I lay beside him, facing him on my side, as he lay on his side facing me with one arm under me, supporting my head. Edward raised his free hand to my face, moving my hair behind my ear, petting it gently and reverently and then he moved his long, beautiful fingers back to stroke the side of my face as he leaned closer to kiss me. I felt the intensity of his gaze in his eyes, as he never took them off mine for even a moment. I felt like I was going to burst from wanting him so badly.

We started to kiss; first slow lazy pecks that turned to heated and passionate very quickly, so much so that we had to pull away to catch our breath. "I love you so much," I whimpered, before I pushed him onto his back and climbed on top of him, straddling his hips.

"I need you Bella," he said with a strained voice echoing his desire, and I rubbed myself on his erection shamelessly, as I lowered my head down to kiss him again plunging my tongue into his mouth this time. He kissed me back with equal passion as I raised my hips and he pressed his erection against my most sensitive parts spreading the wetness there before lining himself up and I released his lips and lowered myself on him, taking him all in. "Bella, so good," he hissed.

"Yes Edward, so good." I leaned on his chest with one of my hands as I closed my eyes from the intensity of pleasure I was feeling. He held my hips and helped me set a pace that was pleasing for both of us as I rose up and down, up and down rubbing myself on him at the same time and soon after, I felt the familiar clenching feeling starting in my belly and extending down to my toes. And just like that, I came undone around him and cried out in ecstasy, "Edward, I love you so much."

"I love you, my beauty." I tried to keep moving on him but I must admit I slowed down while I enjoyed my release, so Edward took matters into his own hands and with one hand on my hip holding me to him, and the other reaching around my back he flipped us over lowering me onto the bed so gently that I barely felt it.

"Oh Edward," I rasped. He reached down to kiss me before raising himself to sit back on his thighs lifting my hips gently off the bed and onto him, as he started to thrust inside me even deeper than before, slow at first, and then he quickened the pace. I reached over my head to grab onto my pillow as I desperately needed something to hold onto when I felt the build up of pleasure inside me threatening to unfurl again.

Edward looked down at me just then. "That's it baby, cum for me again," he said with hooded eyes that were filled with love what looked like… pride. He pulled me closer to him still, as he rose up just a little on his knees taking me with him. Edward continued his pace somehow holding off his release when he moved his thumb to my most sensitive spot and rubbed me again. That's all it took to make me explode around him for a second time and this orgasm lasted even longer than the first. _I think this man is going to be the death of me._

I heard Edward as he began to lose his composure, and he lowered himself back down to sit on his thighs as he let out a grunt and his whole body shook when he came inside me. _So beautiful. _He leaned down over me and kissed me before pulling out and repositioned us on our sides facing each other on the mattress, sliding his arm under my head and the other he draped over me, as he rubbed my belly tenderly. Our breathing gradually returned to normal and Edward grabbed some tissue from the bedside table behind him and shared it with me, before pulling the covers up to keep us warm for the night.

"Are you alright, love?" he asked in a very tired, yet content voice.

"Perfect, Edward, just perfect." And I was.

"Me too." He yawned as he shifted onto his back holding me to him.

x-x-x

Monday afternoon arrived much sooner than we would have hoped, as we boarded British Airways destined for Chicago, rested and resigned to the fact we were headed home and our beautiful honeymoon in London was over. Our trip had been everything we wanted it to be and I couldn't have been more thankful for having had the experiences we had and especially the time away together. I was feeling a little sad about the fact that our lives would go back to normal and Edward and I would be going our separate ways back to work starting the very next day.

"Edward, you're feeling it too, aren't you?" I inquired as I leaned into his side and curled my legs up beside me and he slid his arm around me, when the seatbelt sign turned off.

"Feeling what? Pensive, moody?" He gave me his half smile.

"No, no, not moody, I'm not saying that at all… you're feeling a little melancholy aren't you, about going back… our trip being over?"

"Yeah, I guess I am; it's just I had a really great time with you, Bella, everything was so perfect."

"Yeah, it was."

"And now it's over and I'm not sure I'm ready to share you with everyone yet."

"Me neither. I wish we didn't have to go back to work right away."

"Work, friends, family, and we don't have much time left just me and you, you know. Before we know it 'we two' will be 'we three'."

"I know."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but sometimes I just wish we'd had more time… before…"

"Before I got pregnant."

"Before I got you pregnant. It's not that I'm not happy about becoming a father, having a baby with you, I totally am, you know that, I just indulge thoughts of _poor me_ sometimes and wish we had even just a little more time.

"I'm sorry Edward." I looked down at my lap, as I couldn't help but feel that getting pregnant so soon was my fault.

"Oh God, no, Bella, don't be sorry, I don't want that," he raised my face up to look at him with his fingers under my chin, "I'm happy about the fact we are going to be parents, I'm thrilled about Harrison; like I said, I just had the best honeymoon with my beautiful bride and I wish I had more time with you, that's all. Bella we only have about eight—maybe ten—weeks left, let's just make sure we don't waste even a minute of it."

"Sounds good," I replied, a smile returning to my face.

"When we're not at work or some family commitment, let's spend every free moment living it to the fullest, I mean I don't care what we do as long as we're together, okay?"

"Okay, Edward." I smiled as he lowered his head to kiss me.

"Alright, as long as we have a deal—all your free time is mine—I'm happy. Deal?" He smirked and I giggled.

"You drive such a hard bargain, Dr. Cullen. As if there is anyone I would rather spend my free time with then you. You have yourself a deal." We shook on it.

"Thank you, sweet girl. I feel better already." He kissed me again and I snuggled even closer.

"No, thank you Edward, thank you for taking me to London."

"You're very welcome Bella, and I promise you I'll take you back to London some day."

"The next time will be the three of us, you know, you, me and Harrison, but I bet he'll love it there too."

"You're right the next time probably will be the three of us," kiss, "or the four of us", kiss, "or the f…"

"Hey, wait a sec…" I tried to interrupt, but he kissed me again.

"Bella, I promise you it might take a while, but one day, we're going back to London, maybe not the next time, maybe not the time after that, but one day I'm taking you back, just me and you."

"I'd like that."

**A/N: So, miracle of miracles, I've got most of next week's chapter written at the time of posting! Yay, me, lol. Actually, yay Rory. Without her intense help on this one, I wouldn't have been able to write next week's yet. Anyway, all this is to say, I have a teaser for you reviewers all set, so you'll get it the day you review (depending on time-zone differences, of course; if you review when it's the middle of the night for me, you'll get it the next day, lol).**

**Remember to take a look at my profile; there's the links there for my other stories. If you haven't had a chance to donate to Foxy Fics yet, and you're able, head on over there to do that (link's also on my profile). I've got a o/s in there that was co-written with my friend Sarita, and we'll be continuing it once the fundraiser has run its course. In my completely biased opinion (lol), it's really good. Not to mention all the other amazing stories in the compilation; over 550 pages worth.**

**Join me on twitter if you haven't already: (at)wmr1601. Lots of fun stuff going on there :).**

**Until next week…**


	41. And Then There Were Three

**A/N: I don't own _Twilight. _**

**Special thanks to my friend Rory (the best pre-reader I could hope for). Without her, this story wouldn't be what it is today :).**

**And of course, thanks to you for reading.**

**I'm posting early this week because I'm not entirely sure what my Monday holds this week yet... I didn't think you'd mind ;). The next chapter is coming right along, so reviewers, you should have your teaser in the next couple of days :).  
**

**CHAPTER FORTY-ONE: AND THEN THERE WERE THREE**

**Bella**

The weeks between arriving home from London and the end of February sped by incredibly fast. I was still only working half time, and with the nursery decorated, I didn't honestly have that much to do. I ended up spending a lot of time with Esme; she let me tag along with her while she was doing some of her interior design work for her regular clients. I was very conscientious to always make it home before Edward, though, and keep good on that promise we'd made to each other on the way back from London. Every spare moment that wasn't spent at work or at a family function was spent together. We needed the time to just be together before we had a crying baby to deal with, and we were definitely making the most of these final weeks.

When I woke up to a fresh vase of red roses on my nightstand the week _after _Valentine's Day, I was overcome with the amount of love I felt for my husband for the umpteenth time since… well, since I'd had to leave him in O'Hare international airport six months before, but especially in the seven weeks we'd been married. I couldn't imagine spending my life with anyone else.

I gazed at the flowers for a few minutes—until my bladder couldn't handle it any longer—before I made my morning trip to the restroom. As soon as I sat down, I knew something was wrong. My gut instinct was to freak out, but I knew that wouldn't help anything, so I took a few deep breaths, flushed and washed before heading back to the bedroom for fresh panties and pajama pants, then went to find Edward. He was sitting at the dining room table nursing a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper.

He looked up as soon as I entered the room and could tell by the expression on my face that there was a problem. "Bella? What's wrong?"

"I'm bleeding."

"What? For how long?"

"I don't know. There's not much, just a quarter-sized stain in my underwear, but we should probably go to the hospital, right?" I needed his advice as much as his reassurance that everything was going to be okay. I wasn't a doctor, but I knew that bleeding during pregnancy wasn't a good thing.

"Just a spot the size of a quarter? You're sure it wasn't more than that?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

His face visibly relaxed. "Okay. That's not enough to be overly concerned about, but yes, we should get you in to see Dr. Snow today." Apparently in the moment of panic, he'd forgotten that it was Monday, which was my normal appointment day anyway.

"I've already got an appointment scheduled for seven," I reminded him.

"Oh, that's right; your appointments are on Mondays... and today's Monday. That's perfect, Bella. Now, you don't have to work today, right?"

"No, I don't. I'm on Tuesday/Thursday this week."

"Good. In that case, why don't you ride with me? I'll call my mom real quick and see if she's available to bring you back later. With bleeding, we can't be too careful, and I'm more comfortable with you not driving until we know for sure what's going on."

"Are we going to be okay?" I asked fearfully, cradling my belly.

"I'm sorry, baby, I didn't mean to worry you. I'm sure that you—both of you—will be fine. But bleeding this late in the game isn't ideal, not at all. You're more prone to infection, and an infection would be bad for Harrison. I know you feel huge," I rolled my eyes at his words; huge was the understatement of the year as to how I felt. "But the baby inside you is actually pretty tiny and he could get very sick if you get an infection." Edward rose from his chair and came to wrap his arms around me, comforting me in the face of this unpleasant news.

"What did I do wrong?" I asked, tears escaping my eyes and staining his white shirt.

"Hey, hey, hey. You did _nothing _wrong. What makes you think you did anything wrong?" He stroked my hair reassuringly, kissing my head. Even those miniscule movements somehow managed to calm me down. I had no idea how Edward was able to do that, but I was never upset for long with him around. His mere presence was enough to keep me grounded.

"Bleeding this late in the process isn't exactly normal, is it?" I lifted my head off his chest to look him in they eye. He nodded in affirmation, barely moving his head, as though he hated having to confirm what I'd said. "If it's not normal, then it has to have been caused by something I did." I blinked and more tears spilled down my face.

"Just because it's not normal doesn't mean it was preventable, Bella. I doubt there was anything you could've done differently."

I was glad I got to ride with Edward today; despite my messed up emotions right now, he was keeping me grounded as much as I could be anyway.

When we arrived at the clinic, I left my sample in the bathroom and sat in the waiting room with Edward; on my appointment days, his workday started half an hour late. At seven on the nose, Emily, my MA, called my name and led me back to the labyrinth of exam rooms. We stopped in the hallway where she checked my weight, just like always.

"So, Bella, you're getting close," Emily started, her voice friendly. "How long now?"

"Er, about three weeks left, I think," I said.

"And how are you feeling today?"

"Actually, I had some bleeding this morning," I said, and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. I knew this was the right place to be in such a situation, but I was still scared for some reason.

"How much bleeding?" Emily asked, very serious now.

"Less than a period, but…" I trailed off.

"More than what's desirable," Edward supplied.

"Okay, let me just get the rest of your vitals, Bella, and I'll send Dr. Snow in right away."

She was true to her word; the doctor entered less than five minutes after Emily had left. "Well, what's this I hear about bleeding?" he asked as soon as the pleasantries were done.

"I don't really know; I was fine when I went to bed last night, but there was blood this morning," I told him.

"Okay, well, according to Emily, it's not that much, right?"

"Right," Edward said, squeezing my hand.

"Let's run a non-stress test and see if we can figure out what's going on." And with that, he was gone just as quickly as he'd appeared, like a puff of smoke or something.

"What's a non-stress test?" I asked Edward.

"It's just like it sounds, love. They wrap two monitors around your belly; one to keep track of the baby's heartbeat and the other for any contractions you may be having. The monitors will stay on for about half an hour or so, and we'll have more information then. All you'll have to do is lay back and relax. It's called a non-stress test because it's all external; it doesn't impose on the baby at all. It's nothing like the amniocentesis you had done."

Emily returned with a cart just then, and like Edward said, there were two small monitors – electronic fetal monitors and an echocardiogram machine. She attached a pink Velcro belt to one and a blue one to the other, then wrapped them around my gigantic belly. She squirted some ultrasound jelly on the back of each monitor and tightened the Velcro; then she turned on the echo machine. "I'm sure Edward's told you what this is all about?" she asked when she was done.

"Yeah," I confirmed.

"Okay, I'll just leave you here and let the monitors do their job for now, then. Either me or Dr. Snow will be back in about twenty minutes, okay, Bella?"

I nodded and leaned back, lying down on the exam table. Edward grabbed my hand and ran soothing circles over the back of my hand with his thumb. It was very relaxing. I watched the clock, which probably wasn't the best way to make the time pass, but it wasn't terrible, either. A couple of times I asked Edward to interpret the markings on the paper that the echo machine was spitting out. He said everything looked 'okay,' but his face was grim. 'Okay' wasn't the same as 'good,' and that didn't help my stress level at all. I knew he was trying to protect me, but that wasn't really what I needed right now, and I called him on it.

"Okay, Edward, I know you know that I'm not stupid. I can tell by the look on your face, and by the fact that you're still here instead of getting back to your own patients, that something's wrong. Your expression doesn't match your words. Please, just tell me."

He sighed and ran his hands through his hair roughly. "I know you're not stupid, Bella, of course I do. As for my patients, well, I don't have any appointments until seven-forty-five, but if this," he reached over for the printout, and really examined it now, "is any indication, the rest of my day will be canceled. Your contractions are perfect for the stage you're at, which is most definitely _not_ labor. I wouldn't be surprised if you're not feeling them at all, because they're barely showing up as blips on the chart." He pointed out one of the lines on the paper, showing me what he was talking about; the line was nearly flat, with just a few peaks and valleys.

The other line, however, was all over the page, and from what he'd told me before, that one was the baby's heartbeat. The very idea that it was so erratic terrified me, and I was glad that the little monitors attached to my belly weren't measuring _my _heartbeat. It would've been even more up and down than it was with Harrison's heart. "Is his heart supposed to be so…" I couldn't think of an intelligent-sounding way to phrase my question, so I just described it the best I could. "Is it supposed to be so up and down like that?"

"No," Edward sighed.

"Oh, my god," I murmured. "So, what does it mean, then, what's happening, Edward?"

"I'll tell you because it won't do any good to keep it from you, but I want you to promise me that you'll at least try not to worry. Can you do that?"

"Okay…" My voice trailed off. Such a disclaimer was never a good thing. Requesting that I not worry was the one sure way to guarantee that I would.

Echoing my thoughts, Edward said softly, "I know it's going to be hard not to worry, but it's important that you keep yourself as low stress as possible right now. Because his heartbeat is so erratic, I'm guessing that Dr. Snow is going to admit you today. If you were my patient, that's what I'd do, and I'm not just saying that because you're my wife. It's possible that you'll just go home tomorrow, but not likely. I think he's going to want to induce labor and get Harry out."

"But he's not due for another three weeks. Will he be okay being born early?"

"You're barely in the safe window, but you are in it nonetheless. Anytime after week thirty-seven is considered full-term, and he'll have no more risk now than if he was born on the twelfth of March. He should be fully developed, but he'll be a bit smaller than if you carried him for the next three weeks. I'm confident that he'll be fine."

His voice definitely had an extra boost of confidence now that it didn't have five minutes before, and that was what ultimately helped me to relax. "Okay. I'll do whatever you and Dr. Snow recommend, then."

As if he knew we were talking about him, Dr. Snow entered the room again just then. "How're we doing?" he asked, his voice exuding calmness. I knew it was a rhetorical question, one that he'd get the answer to, upon looking at the printout from the machine, so I didn't say anything. Just as I suspected, he went right over to the cart and examined the paper that Edward had recently piled back up next to the monitor. "Hm. This heartbeat reading worries me."

"Me, too," Edward told him.

_Worries them? _Edward had just told me that he was confident Harry would be fine, and now he was saying that he was worried? My breathing picked up involuntarily as my stress level rose. "Bella, it's going to be okay," Dr. Snow promised me. "There's no reason for you to be worried. Leave that to me and your husband." He smiled at me as if he'd just told a funny joke. Nothing about this situation was funny to me, though. "I'm sure Edward told you what he suspected I'd do."

"He said he thought you'd admit me and induce labor," I whispered, my fear seeping into my voice.

"He's right; that's what I'm going to recommend. Your little bundle of joy will be fine; you're far enough along in your pregnancy for it to be safe for him to be born now. The next time you go home, it'll be with a baby." He smiled again. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest again; I wasn't going home without a baby?

"But, I'm not ready. I mean, I don't have my overnight bag or Harrison's car-seat or anything," I said, panicking again.

"It's okay, love. We won't need any of that right away, and we'll call our family and friends to let them know what's going on and one of them, my mom I presume, can go to our house to get that stuff. Everything will be fine," he promised, repeating what was fast becoming a mantra. _Everything will be fine. Everything will be fine._

"So," Dr. Snow proclaimed, "I'll call over to maternity and make sure they have a room for you, and just as soon as that's settled, we'll get you a wheelchair and get you over there, Bella. Sound good?"

"Yeah," I replied. "Except I don't think I need a wheelchair. I can walk."

"Okay, if you'd prefer," he agreed. "Emily will be back in a moment to remove the monitors, and then we'll get you moved." He exited the room again.

"Bella, love, I have to go talk to the front desk. Since you're going to be here until the baby's born, I need to have them cancel the rest of my day, and probably tomorrow, too. After that, we'll take it a day at a time."

"Okay," I murmured, leaning back again on the exam table, taking advantage of the pillow underneath the paper.

"Are you going to be all right while I take care of that? It shouldn't be more than three or four minutes."

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Okay. I'll be back in just a few minutes." He leaned down and kissed my forehead.

Emily entered just as Edward was leaving, and she removed the monitors and wiped down my belly. "So, you're having a baby, huh?" she asked cheerfully.

"That's what they tell me," I muttered.

"You'll be fine, Bella, and so will your baby," she said, patting my hand reassuringly before leaving me alone in the exam room.

x-x-x

By nine, I was settled in a labor/delivery room on the other side of the hospital. I was kind of glad now that the clinic was in the same building as the hospital. It made things easier when I'd transitioned from the exam room to the maternity suite. I'd been set up with an IV which was now dripping pitocin into my bloodstream. I wasn't feeling its effects yet, but I was promised that within the next hour or so, I would be. For now, Edward and I were relaxing in the room, watching TV. Well, I was watching TV; Edward was watching the new non-stress test they'd started in the maternity ward.

"Edward, please call my parents and tell them Harrison is coming early. Make sure you tell them everything is going to be okay; I don't want them to worry, but I want them to know what's going on. I want them here… if they can… as soon as they can make it."

Edward agreed to call them right away. I think his original plan was to wait until after Harrison was born so he could give them the good news rather than news that would potentially just scare them, but he got up to call them right away when I asked him to. He'd called his parents and brother, as well as Jared and Kim, and they all promised to come visit before the day was over, but since I hadn't been in any sort of labor before they started the drug, everyone—including Edward and Dr. Snow—was fairly confident that it would be several hours before anything happened. That's what Edward told me, anyway. I couldn't reconcile that idea with Esme; I was sure she'd want to be here for the whole thing, but he'd probably told her that she should wait. I didn't officially care, though. It was nice to be able to spend these last hours before our baby was born alone.

x-x-x

Five hours into the inducement, I was in pain. I could not imagine a worse pain than what I was feeling. Every three minutes, for a minute, I was crying and shouting and squeezing my eyes shut; anything to try to get through the pain. Nothing was working, though. After about half an hour of this, Edward mentioned the idea of an epidural to me. We hadn't talked one way or another about how we felt about drugs, but if Edward was suggesting it, I was willing to do it. I trusted him implicitly with medical advice and what I was doing now just wasn't working. "Yes, please," I managed while wincing through another contraction. Half an hour after that, the anesthesiologist entered the room, and I wanted to kiss him. When he left twenty minutes after he'd first entered, I was ready to have _his _baby instead of Edward's. Not really, of course, but he was my new favorite doctor. The medicine he'd administered to my spine was like magic. I didn't feel anything anymore. I even got some more sleep once the medicine had taken full affect.

x-x-x

I woke up from my nap feeling much better than I had before it. That good feeling was compounded when I saw Esme, Carlisle, and Jasper sitting in the room, talking with Edward. "Hi guys," I mumbled sleepily.

Before anyone could respond, Edward was at my bed in a flash. "How are you feeling, baby?"

"Meh," I responded. "I feel better than I did before I slept, but still not perfect, that's for sure. How's the baby?"

"I've been watching the readouts. I think your nurse pretty much hates me," he chuckled.

"No one could hate you," I told him.

"Well, you're a little biased," he countered. "Anyway, like I said, I've been watching the monitor, and the pitocin's working. Of course, you knew that, you were feeling those contractions before you got your epidural." I winced at the mere memory of the contractions. I had a whole new respect for mothers who opted for natural childbirths. "Now, there's some fetal distress with each contraction, but that's normal. I'm keeping a close eye on things, and so is Tracy. At the first sign of any problem, we'll get Dr. Snow in here. Other than that, it's just a waiting game."

As if on cue, Nurse Tracy knocked on the door and made her way into the room. "Hey guys, hi Bella. How're you feeling?"

I gave her the same answer I'd given Edward three minutes earlier.

"Well, how about we check you? See how you're progressing."

"That sounds good," I replied. She'd checked me right before the epidural, and I was at four centimeters then. I hoped that things had progressed further during the time I'd slept.

"Okay, visitors," she said to the Cullens. "Let's give these guys some privacy while I check on Bella's progress; you can all return in five minutes or so, okay?"

I felt bad about the timing; I didn't know when they'd arrived, but so far, I'd slept through their entire visit. "I'm sorry," I mumbled to them as they filed out.

"Don't be silly, Bella," Esme said, scolding me gently. "We'll be right outside, and as soon as you're done we'll come back and visit with you, okay?" She patted my leg on her way by in a very motherly gesture. _Oh, my god. Motherly._

"Um, Edward?"

"Yes, love?"

Nurse Tracy lifted my blanket down by my feet and pushed my knees apart gently. I winced when she pressed three lubricated, gloved fingers into me.

"Edward were you able to reach my parents? Are they able to come?"

"Yes, love, I was able to reach them while you were resting. I told your mom what was going on and she had to check with your dad and her school and call me back. I checked with airlines for tickets while she did that. Your mom spoke to her principal and he told her no problem; he would make arrangements for a substitute teacher to cover her class for the rest of the week. She's coming out tonight, I booked her a flight and one for your father too, but he won't be able to leave Forks until the end of the week. Your dad can't leave on such short notice, so as much as he would like to be here he's coming on Friday night. They're going back Sunday night, they have to get back, but they'll be coming back to Chicago in three weeks to spend longer with us, like they originally planned. It's the best they can do, love."

"I know. They must be so worried," I said with what must have sounded like a voice of defeat.

"They're disappointed they can't get here in time, and they're worried, both, but I assured them that Dr. Snow and I are keeping a close watch on things and that we will make sure you and Harrison are not in any danger."

Tears welled up in my eyes. _I'm having a baby and my parents aren't here to be with me? _"Thank you for doing that, reassuring them and buying them the tickets," I said tearfully.

"Of course, I know how much you wanted them to be here."

"Yeah, I really did, but I understand."

Tracy interrupted our conversation. "Some good news, Bella, you're at six now. You're doing great. Based on the law of averages, you should be able to start pushing in about four hours."

"Okay," I said quietly. I was still disappointed that my parents weren't going to get to be here for Harrison's birth, but at least they would be able to get here soon.

Things happened very quickly after that. Nurse Tracy hadn't even left the room yet, and the monitor on the cart next to my bed started beeping really loud. Tracy and Edward both went over to look at it immediately, and both of them cursed at what they saw. "What's going on?" I asked. Something was wrong, and I needed to know what.

Ignoring me, Edward gave a direct order to Tracy. "Go get Dr. Snow on the phone_. _You can read the printout as clearly as I can; we have to get the baby out _now_." Even though Edward wasn't her boss, or even technically an employee of the hospital, Tracy knew that he was a doctor and didn't argue with him. She bustled out of the room and I looked at Edward. I knew I must've looked terrified; I _felt _terrified.

"Edward, what's going on?" I repeated.

"Harrison's heart rate has dropped. It's much too slow. You're going to have to have a C-section, Bella. If we let this labor continue to play out, we might lose him."

"Oh my god, Edward," I whispered, as tears welled up in my eyes and immediately started to flow down my cheeks.

I didn't have time to think beyond that though. I didn't know where Dr. Snow had been, but within two minutes of Edward's revelation to me, he was hurrying through the door to my room, calling over his shoulder to some unseen entity, "Prep the OR."

x-x-x

Edward

I could not have imagined a scarier sound than the loud beeping of Bella's—well, Harrison's—monitor. I knew it wouldn't be good news, to have it making that sound, and I was right. Looking at the printout, our baby's heart rate had dropped down to about thirty beats per minute. That was too slow even for an adult, and potentially life threatening for a baby. I started barking orders at the nurse, and thankfully she didn't argue with me. It wasn't really my place to start making demands since I worked for the clinic and not the actual hospital, but Tracy knew the warning signs and could read the paper still attached to the machine just as well as I could. There was a problem with Harrison, and it was vital that we get him out.

Less than two minutes after Tracy left the room, Dr. Snow was coming in, calling over his shoulder to have an operating room prepped. I was especially glad right now that he was our doctor; because he was a trained surgeon, we wouldn't have to wait for another surgeon to come in and help. "Let's see here," he muttered, going immediately to the monitor, completely bypassing me, and Bella too, for that matter. His professionalism really showed as he kept his cool in this stressful situation. Of course, I suppose it was easier for him than it was for me; Bella was just his patient. She was my reason for living. He turned to Bella. "I know you were expecting a normal birth, Bella, but we just can't take that chance right now. We've got to get your baby out, okay?"

Bella took a shaky breath and nodded, tears flowing freely down her face.

"Okay, I'm going to go get the rest of the staff prepped, and we'll be back in just a minute," Dr. Snow promised. "And Dr. Cullen, you might want to get some scrubs on. I know you'll want to join us in the operating room, even if it's just as Daddy." He smiled warmly at me, then disappeared through the door.

As if on cue, Nurse Tracy emerged, carrying said scrubs. "Thanks," I told her, then I leaned down over Bella and took her hand in mine. "Everything's going to be okay." I'd been promising her the same thing all day, and all day it had seemed like everything would. With this new development, Harrison's fallen heart rate, I wasn't so sure anymore. Bella looked so weak and defenseless, lying there on the hospital bed. All I kept thinking was, _Please, God, keep the two of them safe. I can't live without either one of them. _

I kissed Bella one more time, then hurried into the bathroom in her private room to change. I was quick; changing into scrubs was something I did fairly often, and so I knew the fastest way to do so, but despite my speed, when I emerged from the bathroom, Bella was gone. Her bed was still in place, so I knew the doctors must have moved her to an operating table and taken her on that to the OR. "Crap, crap, crap," I muttered into my face mask, darting out of the room and pausing just long enough at the nurses' station to find out which operating room she was in. Tracy wasn't there, of course—as Bella's attending RN, she was in the OR along with Dr. Snow, the anesthesiologist, and a few members from the Neo-natal ICU, just in case. But one of the other nurses told me which room they'd gone to, and before the first incision was made, I was back by Bella's side.

Seeing my wife lying on the operating table with her arms out at her sides like birds' wings, awaiting major abdominal surgery was something I wished I didn't have to see. I knew that this was best for everyone, but it didn't stop my stomach from dropping to the floor at the site of Bella prepped for surgery.

Dr. Snow barely acknowledged my presence; I knew he was focused solely on the baby at this point. It had already been nearly ten minutes since Harrison's heart rate had really dropped and the decision to have the c-section was made. Without a word, Dr. Snow took his scalpel made the first incision into Bella's stomach.

I was glad Bella couldn't see what was happening; Tracy had hung a blue curtain over Bella's chest, blocking her view of the surgery. Because I was standing beside her, I could look over the top of it. None of my medical training had prepared me for this. I'd been part of a few c-sections, of course, but when it's your wife on the table, things are very different. I gripped her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. I trusted Dr. Snow with _my _life, but trusting him with Bella's and Harry's was a lot harder. "Are you okay, baby?" I asked softly, addressing Bella but still watching Dr. Snow's steady movements with the knife over her belly.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I don't feel anything that he's doing," she whispered back.

_Miracle of modern medicine. _Even though I knew the mechanics of how the epidural worked, it was still amazing to me that a woman could have major abdominal surgery while wide awake.

Before we'd been in the operating room for five minutes, I heard it; the most wonderful sound I'd ever heard in my life. The sound of my son—the child that Bella and I had created together—taking his first breath, and then letting out his first cry. Bella's eyes locked with mine when she heard him, and hers became almost instantly pooled with tears. "He's here?" she murmured.

"He's here," I whispered back.

Under normal circumstances, they would let me—as the father—cut the umbilical cord, but in Harry's case, that had to be done immediately upon pulling him out so that they could examine him and make sure that his heart issue was simply due to stress from the labor rather than something more serious. So, I hung back with Bella, fighting every urge in my body that was propelling me forward, wanting to hold my son and bring him back to be with Bella and me. I watched over the curtain as Dr. Snow stitched first Bella's uterus, then her skin shut. "Can you go get him?" she whispered about the time Dr. Snow was putting the bandage over Bella's fresh wound. "I want to see him."

"Of course, love." I squeezed her hand one more time, then approached the NICU doctors and my baby. "How's he doing?" I asked in a soothing voice so as not to disturb Harrison.

"He looks perfect," one of them told me. "His apgar score doesn't reflect anything abnormal about his birth at all. I think he'll be a perfectly healthy little boy."

Tracy looked from Harrison to me and back again. "Are you sure your wife had anything to do with this little one? He looks exactly like you."

I cast my gaze down on my baby for the first time and realized that she was right; he had the same shock of coppery-colored hair that I did, and he was staring at me with my green eyes. Even his nose was the same shape as mine. "He's perfect," I murmured. I reached out for him and Tracy placed him in my arms. They'd cleaned him up already, and wrapped him in a hospital-issue blanket. I carried him over to Bella's head and held him out so she could see.

"He's a mini-you," she whispered. "He's beautiful."

"I hate to break up the family moment, but Bella, you're all done in here; we're going to move you back to you room for recovery, and you can hold your baby and bond with him in there," Dr. Snow told us.

Hospital regulations prevented me from carrying Harrison from the operating room to Bella's room—his and Bella's room, now—so I had to put him back in the wheeled bassinet for the trip down the hall. The second we arrived back and Bella was lifted back into her regular bed, though, I had Harry back out of the impersonal cart he'd been in and in my arms. I knew that as long as I lived, I'd never be able to get enough of him.

**A/N: Thanks guys. As always, your reviews are awesome, and I look forward to hearing what you thought about this chapter. It was actually pretty autobiographical; there were a few things I changed, but for the most part this was how my birthing experience with my second son happened, clear down to the nurses asking if I'd had anything to do with him, lol.**

**I'm sure you heard about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan on Friday, right? Well, there's a fundraiser started for the Red Cross' Relief Efforts there, and I'm writing for the fundraiser. The tsunami warning especially hits home for me, because I live in Oregon, which is one of the states on the West coast of the US with a tsunami warning, so writing for this fundraiser is really important to me. Now, this isn't to say that I think it would be "unimportant" if I didn't live where I do, but I'm sure you can understand the special pull this one in particular has for me. If you're able, head on over to www(dot)fandomfightstsunami(dot)blogspot(dot)com to see what you can do to help.**

**I don't know how many of you have read my collaborative story, Speak Now. Well, actually it's just a teaser still (unless you've donated to Foxy Fics), until the 1st of April, but you really should read it, so I'm going to put the teaser in here, too. Please read, and then next month when we start posting more of it, I hope you'll follow the story in its entirety. I'll keep you posted on the goings on with that when the time comes.**

**If you like what you read, head over to Sarita's profile and leave a review for this—there's a link for the story on my profile; reviewers are getting teased with a small section from the upcoming EPOV.**

**For now, though, here's the prologue/teaser of _Speak Now:_**

**~*Bella*~**

It's been nearly four years since I stepped foot in Forks. After living in Florida with the constant heat baking into me, the cool, damp air feels like heaven as it settles on my pale skin like a tender caress. The sky is a mottled gray, and the sun tries to peek through, but it's not likely that it will. A gentle breeze ruffles the ends of my hair; a shiver runs through me, and I question if it's the weather or the reason I came back here that's causing it.

I stand on the cracked sidewalk of the main road that runs through town - Forks Avenue; my high heels make crunching noises on the crumbled pieces beneath them as I fidget. Above me is a canopy of green leaves swaying in the breeze, and I inhale deeply, enjoying the unique scents of nature and the town that, a few years ago, I was dying to get away from. Glancing around curiously, I see that things haven't changed much at all; the storefronts look the same, if a tad bit shabbier, and there seems to be a new internet cafe where the old dress shop used to be. Resting my hand on the trunk of the huge oak tree that's sheltering me, I rub my fingertips across its bark in an attempt to feel more grounded. It doesn't work.

I finally decide to turn my attention to the building that houses the reason I'm here; the Abundant Mercy Church. My lips twist into an ironic ghost of a smile. _Abundant mercy_. I could have used some of_ that_ four years ago, but I _know _I'm going to need it now. The little white church sits there innocently, welcoming in the faithful, the loving, the weary, and the misdirected. It's arched windows look like eyes to me, eyes that can see inside my soul, and I wonder idly if God will strike me down for what I'm about to do.

I've always considered myself a good person, a kind one. I've never been particularly religious; despite the fact that most of my neighbors are parishioners, I'm not even sure what the inside of this church looks like. Anger buzzes through me as I remember what brought me here.

And what I came to do is rather time sensitive, so I shouldn't spend the day rooted to the spot across from the scene of the crime. Smoothing the skirt of my sapphire blue dress, I look both ways before crossing the street. There are no cars in sight, and the clicking noises my heels make on the tarmac are rather loud and sharp, cutting through the quiet in short staccato echoes.

I reach the sidewalk on the other side and stand before the quaint, yet majestic, church. My eyes roam over the front steps, and I'm tempted to run up them and burst through the doors, but, in the end, I decide to case out the place first.

Walking along the left side of the building, I hear voices coming through an open window, and I pause to listen.

"How are you holding up?" a woman's voice that sounds vaguely familiar asks.

"I'm okay, I guess. I just hate everything about this podunk town, and he _insisted _that we had to be married in _this _church. I never expected to be back here with these inbred hicks."

There's only one person I know of with a voice that could give nails on a chalkboard a run for their money and would speak so derisively about the friends and neighbors from her own home town—Tanya Denali.

In a bold move, I lean forward until I can peer in the window. What I see of the bridal room from my awkward vantage point are pale green walls and a tall, freestanding mirror framed in mahogany. Tanya stands before the mirror, preening. I can see her perfect profile; her strawberry blond locks are pulled up into an intricate 'do with a few, stray spirals cascading down her back and a sparkly tiara to complete the look. Her voluptuous body is encased in a white strapless gown that fits her like a glove, and, I hate to admit, she wears it well. She's too entranced with her own image in the mirror to take notice of me watching her through the window, and I think the billowing curtains might afford me a little bit of camouflage anyway.

"Oh, Tanya, be grateful that you're marrying a man like Edward. There aren't many out there like him, sweetie."

Moving over slightly so the other woman is in my view, I see that it's Tanya's sister, Kate. Kate is a beautiful woman; tall and regal with long, straight, corn-silk hair that falls halfway down her back. As her head moves, her hair swishes back and forth softly, and it hypnotizes me.

"I know, Katie, but it just pisses me off that I couldn't get married where _I_ wanted to. You know that big beautiful church with all the stained glass in New Hampshire? Near _Dartmouth_ where all my _friends_ are?" Tanya whines.

Rolling my eyes, I remember why I can't stand her; she's so fake and surfacey. If I was marrying a man like Edward, I wouldn't give a shit if it was at City Hall, just as long as I knew he was mine–that I could take him home and make love to him all night. I feel a twinge in my abdomen at that thought, and memories roll over me slowly, taking me back in time...


	42. Bonding

**A/N: I don't own _Twilight. _**

**Special thanks to my friend Rory (the best pre-reader I could hope for). Without her, this story wouldn't be what it is today :).**

**And of course, thanks to you for reading.**

**CHAPTER FORTY-TWO: BONDING**

**Bella**

Our first moments together as a family were the most precious of my life. Watching Edward carry our son from the hospital bassinet over to me was a sight I knew I'd never forget. He was so attentive to Harry, gazing at his face the entire time he made the short walk across the small room. And then, when he placed our baby in my arms, I melted. The whole world disappeared around me. In that moment, the only things that mattered were my husband to my left and my baby in my arms. I couldn't keep my eyes off of Harrison. "I can't believe he's actually here," I murmured. to no one in particular.

"I know," Edward agreed, running his fingers softly over Harry's face.

"He needs a middle name." Even though I was speaking to Edward, I couldn't tear my eyes away from Harrison's face. We'd decided on his first name so long ago that it wasn't until this very moment that I realized we hadn't chosen a middle name.

"That's not important just yet. We'll pick something before you guys are discharged, but we don't need to think about that right now."

"Okay," I agreed easily. He was right; nothing mattered in this instant except that our son was healthy and safe.

I had no idea how long we sat there, all three of us piled onto my narrow hospital bed, just looking at each other, but eventually Nurse Tracy knocked lightly and entered the room. "How're we doing?" she asked gently.

"Fantastic," I answered honestly.

"That's good to hear. Now, you've got some visitors wanting to see your little bundle of joy," she told me, "but I want to check him before they come in. Does that sound okay?"

"Sure," I agreed, although I was reluctant to do so. I wanted to keep holding him.

Edward stood up, carefully climbing off of my bed to avoid jostling me, and held his arms out. I passed off Harrison, and Edward carried him back to the hospital-issue crib and laid him down. Harry immediately started crying, but Edward didn't pick him up. "Sh, sh, it's okay little one," he cooed instead. I watched as Edward placed his hand on Harrison's chest, comforting him. It worked; between his voice and the weight of his hand, our son's cries ceased almost immediately. "Tracy's nice, she'll help me take care of you for the next few minutes, and then you can go right back and see you mama, okay?"

I smiled at his words.

"We'll get his size recorded for the official records," Tracy informed us, "and then we can see if he's ready to try feeding yet." She looked over at me. "Don't get discouraged if he doesn't yet, though, Bella. Some babies are born ready for nourishment and some take several hours before they care about it. And in either case, it'll take some practice on both of your parts to get used to it. That is assuming, of course, that you're going to breastfeed?"

"Um, yeah, I think I am," I answered. I'd done a bit of research on the topic, and I knew that it was healthier for both Harry and me if I did, but I still wasn't sure about it.

"Great." She looked back at Edward. "So, Dr. Dad, are you going to help me with the measurements?"

"Certainly," Edward said immediately, lifting Harry out of the bassinet and unwrapping him from his hospital blanket, then laying him back down.

"Okay, let's get his length first." I watched with earnest as Tracy took a ballpoint pen from the breast pocket of her scrubs and marked something up by Harry's head. She looked at Edward again and started to say something else, but he already knew what to do. He'd stretched out one of our baby's legs and was holding it flat at the knee and ankle. Tracy immediately grabbed her pen again and marked Harrison's foot this time. Edward picked him up and draped the blanket back over him to keep him warm, and Tracy pulled a tape measure out of her pants pocket. When she took the tape measure to the bassinet and stretched it out, I realized that they'd not marked up my Harry after all; they'd marked the paper that he'd been laying on. _Clever. _"Nineteen and a half inches," Tracy announced.

I continued to watch as Edward now removed the blanket again, laying it in the crib and laying Harrison on top of it. He carefully took off all of Harry's clothes and his diaper while Tracy prepared the scale. With Harry naked and the scale ready, Edward laid him on top of it. He immediately started screaming again, and my heart clenched while I watched the digital readout on the scale. It seemed to take an eternity, with my baby crying, before the number appeared; two-point-nine. "That seems awfully low," I started, but Tracy and Edward spoke simultaneously.

"That's kilograms."

"Oh." I felt like an idiot. Tracy pushed a button on the scale and the new number read six-point-five.

"There's his pound-weight," Tracy told me. "Six and a half pounds exactly." That seemed like a more realistic number to me. "So, six pounds, eight ounces and nineteen and a half inches long. He's small, but in the normal range, which is good, especially considering he's three weeks early." Edward picked him up right away, cuddling a naked Harrison to his chest.

He'd been holding him that way for maybe ten or fifteen seconds when he let out a surprised yelp. "You have got to be kidding me; he's diaper-less for one minute and he takes the opportunity to pee all over me?" I suppressed a giggle while Edward handed Harry over to Tracy, who wasn't bothering to hide her laughs, and went into the bathroom attached to my room to clean himself up. Tracy re-diapered and dressed Harrison, then brought him back over to me. Edward reemerged quickly, wearing his slacks and dress shirt again, but having foregone the tie. He tossed the soiled scrubs into a bin against the far wall.

We spent the next fifteen minutes with Tracy, learning how to get Harry to 'latch on.' Either I was a miserable failure, or Harry just wasn't hungry yet, because it didn't seem to be working. As I grew more and more frustrated, Harrison grew more and more agitated, eventually starting to cry and scream again and turning his head away from me. "Can we just try again later?" I requested. I felt like a terrible mother, practically begging for the opportunity to _not _feed my child, but I hated feeling like a failure. I had never failed at anything important in my entire life, and this, taking care of my hour-old infant, was the most important job I'd ever have; I didn't want to fail, so I made the decision to try again later, when we were both feeling refreshed.

"Of course, Bella. And remember what I said earlier: some babies just aren't ready to nurse right away. Not getting him to latch on this time does not reflect on you as a mother in any way. Okay?"

"Thanks, Tracy."

"Are you ready for visitors?"

I looked over at Edward. "It's up to you, love," he told me. "You're the one who just had major abdominal surgery an hour and a half ago. They won't be offended if you don't want to see them yet, so make the decision that's best for you, not what you think they want."

I thought for a minute; I was in a lot of pain, but it was bearable. I should've been exhausted, but I really wasn't. And if I couldn't have my parents here today, I'd be happy with Esme and Carlisle. "Yeah, I'd love to see them," I told her.

"Okay, I'll let them know," Tracy said, and then she left, pulling the door shut behind her.

I looked up at the clock on the wall. Six-seventeen. "So, when do you think my mom's flight will land?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

"I know you want her here, baby. The earliest flight I was able to book for her took off at five-oh-two our time, and it was scheduled to land at nine-twenty-three. I'll have Jasper pick her up, though, and bring her here straightaway. If I could've sent a private jet for her to get her here quicker, I would have. You know that, right? I'd do anything for you."

"Yeah, I know," I told him. "Thank you for getting the tickets for my parents and for my mom to come out today." I didn't want him to think that I was somehow ungrateful for what he'd done. I looked down at our baby again, and saw that he was fast asleep. Despite my mild disappointment that I wouldn't get to see my mom for several more hours, a smile spread across my face at the sight of the sleeping infant in my arms.

There was a quiet knock on the door just then, and when I called, "Come in," I was greeted with five smiling faces; not only were Esme, Carlisle, and Jasper here, but Kim and Jared had arrived sometime in the past hour and a half, too. "Hi, you guys," I said, smiling.

"How are you feeling?" Esme asked.

"Yeah, I heard it was pretty scary there for awhile," Kim added.

"It was, but he's here now, and he's perfect," I told them. The men hung back while Esme and Kim came right up to me, looking at a sleeping Harrison.

"Oh, would you look at him?" Esme breathed. She glanced around the room until she found Edward, who had stepped back to make room for his mom and Kim to be closer to me. "There's no doubt that he's yours, is there?" She smiled at her son. I felt my eyes bulge; we'd never told her that there was any other possibility. With this statement, I felt a pang of guilt, but I immediately pushed that aside. There was nothing to feel guilty about; I wasn't expected to air all my dirty laundry to my mother-in-law.

"No doubt at all," Edward replied, looking calm and relaxed. If he'd gotten that same feeling from his mom's question, he didn't let on.

"May I?" Esme asked, turning back to me and holding her arms out.

"Yes, of course," I told her, carefully placing my son into the able arms of his grandmother. Things were quiet for several minutes as everyone just looked adoringly at Harrison.

Jasper was the first one to break the silence. "So, now that he's here, are you guys going to tell us his name? Or have you been putting us on that you had one all along?" I could tell he was teasing with his second question.

Edward and I exchanged a silent conversation, in which I conveyed that he should be the one to let them know the baby's name; they were his family, after all. "Well, we decided a long time ago that we wanted to name him after someone in one of our families," Edward began. "And then Bella suggested naming him after Grandpa Platt, since I was so close to him; I know it was difficult for all of us when he passed last summer, but you all know that I took it especially hard. I quickly agreed, but neither of us really thought Harold was the best name for a baby born in 2011. So we came up with a modernization of the name. Meet Harrison. We haven't picked a middle name yet."

I could see Esme's eyes glistening with tears. "You named him after my father?"

"Yes," I told her, feeling a bit emotional myself at her reaction. "There was no one I'd rather bestow such an honor on. I know I only met him once, but I was so taken with him; I wish he was still here to meet his namesake now."

"Oh, I wish he was, too," Esme said, a single tear sliding down each cheek.

Over the next hour, everyone took their turn holding Harry, and I could tell that even though he was only hours old, he had all seven of us wrapped around his tiny finger already. I knew that as soon as my mom arrived, and my dad later in the week, he'd own them, too. At seven-thirty, a new nurse came in with a dinner tray for me and introduced herself as Abby. "Tracy's gone home for the night, but she wanted to make sure you knew that she was happy to have been your nurse today and she said she'll see you tomorrow. She'll be your daytime nurse tomorrow, too. For tonight, though, I'll take good care of you and your baby."

"Thank you," I told her as she set the tray on my wheeled table.

"Yeah, no problem." She smiled warmly. "So, I know this isn't going to make me popular, but visiting hours end at eight; make sure you leave by then, okay? Bella and Harrison need their rest." She really did look apologetic, and even though she was effectively kicking my guests out (even if they did have half an hour left), I rather liked Abby. I felt blessed to have such a caring nursing staff attending to me, with Tracy before and now Abby.

"But what about my mom?" I asked, looking over at Edward, who had Harry back in his arms. I should've been able to make my case to Abby myself, considering arguing-slash-negotiating was what I did for a living, but between my hormones being messed up from the birth, plus the exhaustion that was setting in quickly, all I felt was extreme disappointment at the idea that I'd have to wait another twelve hours to see my mom; more importantly, for her to see her grandson. What I needed most in this moment was for my husband to 'go to bat' for me and I knew I could count on him.

He understood immediately what I needed, and did exactly what I required of him. Looking over at Nurse Abby, he said, "Is it possible to get an exception to that? Bella's mother is coming from Seattle, but with the emergency delivery and having to arrange a flight, she's not able to be here until around ten. I know she's going to want to see her daughter and grandson, and that Bella wants to see her today." He looked so sincere, I didn't think there was any way Abby would be able to tell him 'no.' I knew if he ever looked at me like that, I'd give him anything he asked for.

"I'll have to check with the attending physician, Dr. Kumler. I can't promise, but I think she'll probably make an exception under the circumstances."

"We understand," Edward told her. "Thank you."

Abby nodded and left the room. My other five visitors gave me a kiss on the cheek, promised to come back the next day to see us and said their goodbyes quickly, before they followed closely behind, not wanting to push the rules too closely. Jasper promised to pick up my mom from the airport and bring her here immediately, provided we got the after-hours visitor approval. Edward promised to call him as soon as we heard from Dr. Kumler. With that settled, I began on my dinner.

x-x-x

I didn't even realize that I'd fallen asleep until I felt gentle fingers trailing over my cheek. I sighed and moaned and rolled over a bit—that ended up being a mistake; the pain at my incision spot woke me the rest of the way and I opened my eyes. "Mom!" Any pain was immediately forgotten at the sight of my mother here at last.

"Hi, baby. How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. Did you see him?" I looked around the dim room and spotted Edward sitting on a chair near the window, holding Harry.

"I did. He's perfect, baby. You guys did good." She smiled at me.

"Yeah, we really did. He's… well, you already said 'perfect,' but that's really the only word that's adequate."

"I know what you mean, honey."

"Did you get to hold him yet?"

"Your husband offered, but I wanted to spend a minute with _my _baby first. I'm sorry I couldn't be here earlier, Bella."

"Don't be silly, Mom, I know you would have if you could have and I wish you had of been here too, but I know it couldn't have been helped. There was no way any of us could have anticipated that things would've happened the way they did today."

"I know, but I just can't shake the feeling that I failed you."

"Mom, please. I understand, you know I do. You're here now, that's what matters."

She leaned in over me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders in a protective, yet loving, hug. "You're the best daughter I could've hoped for and I'm so thankful that you're okay, that you're both okay… I'm really proud of you Bella," she murmured in my ear, sounding a bit tearful.

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you, too sweetheart." I felt so special and like I was little again when she said that, then my thoughts drifted back to Harrison, I wonder…

"Mom, did you talk to Edward at all since you've been here?"

"Of course we talked, although honestly, I've only been here about ten minutes."

"Did he tell you the name?"

Edward spoke up then. "No, love, I thought you would like to do that."

I smiled at him. "Let her hold him, and I'll tell the story." He offered me his trademark lopsided grin and complied quickly, standing from his seat and handing Harry to my mother. Tears pricked her eyes the moment he was in her arms, then I filled her in on how we chose Harrison's name and just like I'd suspected, I knew instantly that my sleeping infant had won the heart of his maternal grandmother.

"If you don't mind, love, I'm going to run down to the cafeteria. That'll give you some time alone with your mom. Is that okay? I shouldn't be long, but with the way everything went down tonight, I haven't had dinner yet… or anything since breakfast, actually."

"Edward," I admonished him. "Yes, by all means go, get something to eat. You need nourishment too, and you can't be strong for us if you're not fed. So go, we'll be fine. Don't worry."

"I know, and honestly, I haven't noticed that I was hungry until now. I promise," he tacked on when I eyed him speculatively.

"We'll be here, now go."

He kissed me on the forehead and left, leaving me alone with my mom and son.

x-x-x

When I was discharged from the hospital on Thursday afternoon, my mom moved over from Edward's parents' house to our house, and I was glad for that. She said that it was the 'obvious choice,' but I'd still worried that she wouldn't want to move all her stuff over for just three more days. When I voiced that concern, my mom just said, "Bella, I came here to be with you. No offense to Esme and Carlisle, because they're great, and I'm thrilled to get to be related to them through you, but I didn't even unpack; I knew that the day you went home, I'd be going with you." The fact that she hadn't unpacked at my in-laws' house made me feel better; it proved that she really wanted to stay with us—even though I shouldn't have needed such proof, it still made me feel better.

My first night home felt uncannily like Thanksgiving weekend (after my collapse in Forks) had; neither Edward nor my mom would let me so much as lift a finger. This time, I relished the rest, though. I'd been cleared to go home, but I still felt like I was in recovery.

Edward insisted on cooking dinner that night, so I snuggled with Harrison and chatted with my mom. The conversation started out innocent enough, but before long, she asked me a difficult question that I didn't really know the answer to.

"So, are you going back to work, or are you going to stay home with him?" she asked, nodding her head toward the sleeping child in my arms.

I hadn't honestly given that prospect much thought yet, and I told her as much. "Right now, I can't imagine ever leaving him anywhere, but at the same time, I did spend a lot of time and money to go to law school and I love my job and the people I work for. I just don't know, Mom."

"Well, baby, do you mind some motherly advice? You can always disregard it if you want, but I'm happy to offer it if you want it."

"I'll take anything you've got," I replied, smiling.

"Okay. I was already teaching when you came along, and I used all those sleepless nights," she smirked at me, "pondering this same issue. I'd spent a lot of time and money on my education; not as much as you have, but still, a fair amount. The conclusion I finally came down to was 'I can go back to work once she's in school. For now, I'm just gonna be the best mom that I can.' And that worked out well for me. Now, I know that you're not the same as me, not by any stretch of the imagination, but I just want you to know the reason I made the decision I did and I never regretted my choice. Not ever. So maybe take my decision, or part of it, or none of it, I don't know… but maybe it'll help you in making your choice."

I listened carefully to what she'd said, and it made a lot of sense; but she was right, I spent a lot more time (I wasn't concerned about the money) on my law degree than she had on her teaching degree. The more I thought about that, though, the more it sounded incredibly selfish. How could I compare the time I'd spent on a college degree to time with my child? I couldn't. I wasn't sure how long I sat there, silently pondering, but my mother gave me the time I needed without interruption. Despite the decision I knew I had to make, I was still leery to actually make the decision on my own. I wanted to talk to Edward about it. I had a feeling I knew what he'd say, but I still wanted to talk over my decision with him. For now, I turned my attention back to my mom. "Thanks for that, Mom. It really makes a lot of sense, and I'll definitely consider it. I don't want to make that decision completely on my own, though; I want to talk it over with Edward first."

"That's a good plan, sweetheart. You guys are in this together, for better or worse. It's important that you make all the major decisions together. Never leave each other out of anything. In my experience, that's the key to a happy marriage; sticking together and talking things out."

"Thanks, Mom," I repeated.

Edward emerged from the kitchen then, drying his hands on a green dish towel and announcing that dinner was ready.

x-x-x

The following afternoon, the doorbell rang just after lunch. My mom answered it, and when she came back into the living room, she wasn't alone. Carlisle, Esme, and my father were walking with her, all four of them laughing and talking, getting along just as well as they always did. "Dad!" I exclaimed upon seeing him. "You're here!"

"Hey, Bells," he greeted me, smiling and looking happier than I think I'd ever seen him. "Of course I'm here; you couldn't keep me away this weekend for anything. I'm just sorry I couldn't make it out earlier this week." I felt a little awkward not rising up to hug him in greeting, but for one, I was holding Harry, and for two, I knew if I tried, I'd be practically yelled at by both my mother and my husband. I tried arguing that the best way to heal was to move, but I was vetoed every time. Eventually, I'd win, but things were still new and fresh enough that I didn't challenge them too much just yet. I was brought out of my thoughts by my father's voice again. "So, is this him, then?" He was looking down at Harrison, who was still so tiny and nestled in my arms. "He's beautiful Bella… Edward; congratulations to both of you," he leaned down giving my shoulder a pat and kissed the top of my head, before giving Harrison a closer gaze.

"Thanks, Dad." I immediately lifted my arms up and out from my body, offering _him_ to my dad. "Yeah, Dad, this is your grandson, Harrison Charles Cullen." It had taken Edward and me ages to settle on the middle name; we'd tried lots of combinations, including using pieces of Edward's name, but they just didn't seem to flow very well. Then we thought well seeing as Harrison came from Edward's side of the family it would be nice if the middle name came from my side and then it just hit us; Charles would be perfect. My dad would be thrilled and we would be thrilled too, to give our son my father's name. It was a name we both liked and it didn't sound awkward when paired with Harrison; we just knew it was the right choice.

My dad carefully took my baby from me and gazed down at him, his eyes almost misty-looking. The jostling woke Harrison, but he didn't cry. I watched as he looked at my dad with an almost curious expression. The two of them just stared at each other for a long time, as if memorizing the other's features. I glanced around the room at the others, who had all taken seats in the various chairs we had here, and everyone seemed to be captivated by the bonding going on between my dad and my son.

After several moments, my dad began to speak, and Harrison continued to gaze intently at him, absorbing every word he said—or so it seemed. My dad was lost to the world, talking only to Harrison, and I felt almost like an intruder on what seemed like a very private moment between grandfather and grandson. At the same time, I couldn't stop watching and listening. My father was promising Harry the world, and I knew that he'd keep good on that promise. He'd given me everything I ever wanted, and I had no doubts that he'd do the same for my son.

**Thanks for reading! As always, a review will get you a teaser from the next chapter. Although, I don't have anything of the next one written yet (see below) so I don't know when teasers will be sent out.  
**

**For those of you who are only on story alerts and not author alerts, I've started a new "story" which is really just the outtakes from _Pen Pals_. I've only got one posted so far, but I'd love it if you'd take a look and let me know what you think. You can find it on my profile, and it's called _Beyond the Letters_. If you have some ideas for outtakes you'd like to see, then let me know via review or PM. You can also tweet me some ideas; I'm on twitter under the same user name (wmr1601). I've already got one request for a Rose POV… would anyone else be interested in that? And if so, when would you like to see what was going through Rose's mind? Around chapters 7-10 (from the time she met Emmett to the broken off wedding), or later, around Thanksgiving time? Or maybe a little bit of everything from her? I've also had a suggestion that an Emmett POV would be interesting. Any takers on that one? If you have something you'd like more of besides these two, feel free to request that, as well. I'm totally open to your ideas for these… Just let me know.**

**In addition, I'd be honored if you put me on your author alerts list as well, so you can be among the first to know when I start a new project. I'm not sure when I'll do a full chapter story again, seeing as I've got two on other profiles to do (both collabs, and there are links to both stories on my profile), but I do plan to do some one-shots for contests and fundraisers and such, which will all eventually be posted here. In fact, I'm in the middle of one for the "Quote Me" contest and the Fandom Fights Tsunami fundraiser. I'll add those links as soon as they 'really' start, which for the contest is the 1st of April and for the fundraiser, well, you can donate any time and compilations will be sent out sometime during the month of May. There are over 200 fantastic authors donating to that one, so if you're able to donate, you're in for a real treat.**

**Finally, I'm fairly confident that there's only one chapter left of this story *sobs*. That being said, I want to make sure I do it right, get in everything that needs to be there as well as really provide a good plot for the chapter for you guys. So, give me a little bit longer than my normal week to get it done, okay? I'll do my best to make sure it's really amazing; I definitely want to go out with a 'bang' on this :).**

**Until… well, later ;).**


	43. Amends

**A/N: I don't own _Twilight. _**

**Special thanks to my friend Rory (the best pre-reader I could hope for). Without her, this story wouldn't be what it is today :).**

**And of course, thanks to you for reading.**

**Note to readers who have been with me from the beginning: If you haven't read the "new" chapter 10, please do that before you read this chapter, otherwise one of the letters in this chapter will feel "off" to you. Thank you.**

**CHAPTER FORTY-THREE: AMENDS**

**Bella**

_Dear Harrison,_

_This may be unusual, it may not be, but regardless, it was the perfect thing for me to do for you. Letter writing is as much a part of the relationship I have with your dad as . . . well, as you are. I'm sure you'll hear the story of how your father and I met many times over your lifetime, so I won't include those details here. I wanted to include a letter in your baby book, though, as a reminder of where we came from. Because really, without handwritten letters, I don't think you would be here today. In fact, the next time we go back to Washington to visit your grandparents, I should take you to visit Mrs. Cope at the middle school, too. I've heard that she's still teaching, and I can't help but think how proud she'd be to know that her little 'pen pals' project actually paid off for at least one of her students. Honestly, we should take you to see your dad's old English teacher, too. Definitely an interesting idea. _

_I digress, though. This letter is supposed to be about you, and about the first four months of your life. It's your dad's thirtieth birthday today, which means that tomorrow is your four-month birthday, and I want to do something special for both of you. It's been nearly a year since I've written a letter to your dad; the last one was after his grandpa—your namesake—died. Knowing how much the letters have always meant to both of us, I feel almost like I've let him down by allowing this unique aspect of our relationship fade away. But I'm making amends for that today. _

_As I gaze at you asleep in your bassinet, I'm struck again at how much my life has changed in the past year. I'm not going to tell you all about my past; that's not something a son should know about his mother, but you _should _know that I consider myself the luckiest woman in the universe. You, your father, your grandparents, your Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper… all of you remind me every day of the joys of my life. Oh, and Harry, I want to offer my thanks, too, for you being the best baby in the world. Seriously. I know all parents must say that about their babies, but I'm sure that they're all wrong. They have to be, otherwise _you_ wouldn't be able to hold that title. When your Aunt Alice made a surprise trip out here six weeks ago, and then dropped the bomb on me that she was staying because your Uncle had proposed, well, color me surprised. I couldn't believe my luck when she gave me that news. And Alice, being Alice, got her entire wedding planned almost as fast as your dad planned ours. Oh, and Harrison, make sure you have your dad tell you that story someday. It was the most romantic day of my entire life, and your future wife will be the second-luckiest woman in the world if you grow up to be even half as thoughtful as your dad is. I couldn't believe how well-behaved you were at Alice and Jasper's wedding, though. You were awake and alert, and only cried when you were hungry, not even when all the military wives were passing you around. I'm not sure I would've handled being in your situation as well as you do._

_You're going to love getting to know Aunt Alice, Harry, I promise you that. She's probably your biggest admirer, after me and your dad, of course. She was upset when she couldn't make it here for your birth, but you made such a sudden appearance that no one really made it in time. Thanks for that, by the way. I'm kidding, of course. I don't hold the _major abdominal surgery _against you. I'm giggling as I write this, so know that it's the truth. I can't help but mention it, but I'm really glad that you're safe, regardless of the method of your birth. Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper are going to spoil you, I'm sure of that. Just as soon as they get back from Bali, anyway. They've been sending me emails with pictures every other day, and extending their stay just about as often. I wonder sometimes if they're going to come back at all, but mostly in jest. I know they'll have to come home eventually. _

_I worried about Alice living in that apartment that Jasper sublet from your dad, until I saw an article in the newspaper the other day. The story doesn't belong in your letter, though, except to say that I no longer worry about Aunt Alice. Enough about that, though. Suffice it to say that I have no qualms about Alice living there now. _

_I suppose I've rambled enough here, haven't I? This letter isn't quite what I'd intended when I sat down with the paper, but at the same time, I'm not going to go back and edit it. There's nothing in here that I regret telling you. _

_I love you, my son, and I look forward to watching you grow over the next two decades (hopefully longer, actually) and seeing the man you become. I know that you'll make your father and me proud._

_Love, _

_Mom_

I'd been meaning to write that letter for six months. In the end, though, I was glad that it took until I'd had some experience with Harry before I wrote it. I could've written him a sappy love letter while I was still pregnant, but it couldn't have come close to the emotion I tried to pour into it now. I did worry about possibly having crossed some sort of arbitrary line between mother/child relations with some of the stuff I wrote, but at the same time, the way this letter turned out was so natural and effortless that I wanted to leave it the way it was.

Watching Harry sleep had become one of my favorite pastimes over the past four months; he was even more peaceful in sleep than he was awake, and that was really saying something. I'd written the truth in the letter; he really was the best baby I'd ever dealt with. Not that that number was huge by any stretch of the imagination, but in my limited experience, he was the best baby. I felt incredibly blessed.

Alice and Jasper's wedding four weeks earlier had been a true testament to his 'good baby' persona. I still was shocked and amazed at how sudden their nuptials were. I probably shouldn't have been, based on how they'd been acting, and especially how Edward remembered how his brother had always been a 'player' until I'd introduced him to Alice a year ago, but I never really expected the relationship to take off. Especially considering the long-distance aspect. It had mostly been a way to keep Edward and Jasper from having to entertain themselves during the week they came to Seattle the first time. Of course, Edward and I had been attendants for them, so 'Nana'—Esme preferred that over 'Grandma'—got an uninterrupted half hour with Harry during the ceremony. And during the reception, when all of the Army wives had wanted to hold him, he really was just as sweet and calm as I'd said in the letter. Until I'd started leaking, apparently setting off some sort of 'mommy pheromone' that drove him mad, and nothing anyone did could calm him down. Once I'd taken him up to Edward's old room—Alice and Jasper had gotten married at Carlisle and Esme's house, too—and nursed him, he was back to his happy self.

That was only one of the many times that I was glad I'd taken my mother's advice. After Harrison's frightening birth, and the conversation I'd had with my mother the day we'd gone home from the hospital, I'd thought a lot about what she'd said, and decided that she was right. It didn't matter how many years or how much money I spent on that law degree, it would be there; Harrison's childhood would be gone in the blink of an eye, especially if I worked through the whole thing. After talking to Edward—who was in full agreement with my mother—I made the decision not to go back to Ateara, Call, and Uley. I'd been nervous to call Jacob with that announcement, but I was also confident in that decision, and had decided before I'd even picked up the phone that I wasn't going to let him talk me into staying. It turned out that I didn't need to be worried or afraid or anything. Jacob was completely understanding and professional. He even told me that he hoped his wife would make the same decision when their little one was born; after three years of trying, they were finally expecting. While he couldn't guarantee me a rehire in five years (or more, depending on whether Edward and I had more children), he did promise that if he was still with the company, he'd do everything in his power to get me back on in some capacity if and when I decided I was ready.

I hadn't regretted that decision even one time in the past four months.

There was a slight clatter at the front door just then, which in my early days as a stay-at-home-mom had frightened me, but I now recognized as the mailman depositing our letters in the box. Since Harry was still sleeping peacefully, I left him in the bassinet on the floor of the living room and retrieved the mail from the box on our porch. "Thank you," I called to the mail carrier just as he was climbing back into his white United States Postal Service truck. He waved back in response.

After I'd retrieved the mail from the box, I reentered the house and carefully scooted between the couch and the bassinet, then sat on the sofa and flipped through the mail. Mostly bills and diaper coupons, but about three-fourths of the way through the stack, there was a yellow envelope with my name—my maiden name—written in tidy, block handwriting. There was no name on the return address, just a Seattle apartment. My heart started thumping as I recognized the apartment's address; it was a place I'd spent numerous nights in what felt like a former life.

I set the rest of the mail aside and fingered the envelope for several minutes, turning it over in my hands and wondering what Emmett could possibly have to say to me after what happened almost exactly one year ago. Two days ago had been the one-year anniversary of our breakup, actually, and it had passed without my even thinking about it. I knew that based on the day this was arriving, the twentieth of June, that he hadn't forgotten. With my breathing erratic—and showing no signs of steadying any time soon—I opened the envelope and slid out the card that was tucked inside.

The front was simple, a photograph of a field of daisies framed in a sunny yellow. There were no words on it. Inside, the card had no printed greeting, either; only a note in Emmett's own handwriting. I tried desperately to calm my breathing, knowing that I was practically panting with the anxiety of this unexpected card. I knew that if I continued my heavy breathing, though, I'd wake Harrison. He was a good baby, but a light sleeper, and as freaked out as I was about getting this card, I was curious as to what it said. I was sure there would be some sort of apology—I hoped so, anyway—but beyond that, I had no idea what could possibly be contained in this card. _Better to just read it than to continue guessing, _I told myself. So with one final deep, cleansing breath, I dropped my eyes to my lap where the card was lying and began reading.

_Dear Bella,_

_I'm really sorry to send this to you all unannounced and whatnot. Honestly, I don't know even know why I bought this card in the first place, I just thought of you when I saw the daisies. Not that I spend all my time thinking of you, it's just, well… Crap. I was going to be all eloquent and junk and now I've already blown it. Okay, since I'm writing in ink and can't erase, let me start over, okay?_

_Dear Bella,_

_I heard that you had your baby a few months ago. Congratulations. I really am happy for you; you deserve the happily ever after that you're obviously enjoying now. You definitely deserve it more than I do. Which is ironic, because I'm not really getting one. I don't know if you'll care or not, but for some reason I feel inclined to tell you. I'm not with Rosalie anymore. And I will never be able to apologize enough times for what I did to you. I was a complete jackass, and I kick myself every day for letting you get away from me. I thought Rose was a good match for me, but I was wrong. When she came to me all upset because of a phone call she'd received, I pressed her on it, and she admitted to me that she'd been a total bitch to you—not in so many words, of course, but basically. _

_Shoot, I'm out of room on the card and not done apologizing yet. I'm gonna find a piece of paper to include. Look in the envelope behind the card so you can read the rest of my letter._

I had to smile as the handwriting grew tinier and tinier toward the bottom of the card. I leaned back against the sofa cushions, relaxed now, and fished the notebook paper out of the envelope.

_Okay, let's see if I can keep my train of thought going. When Rose told me that she'd practically demanded to see the paper—you know the one I'm referring to—after I'd told you that I believed you, and then a few days later, when she got that phone call from your boyfriend—well, I guess he's your husband now, right? Anyway, she had the gall to come to me to complain about the way 'he treated her' on the phone, and when I pressed her on it, I couldn't honestly say that I would've done anything different. I know she'll never apologize to you—she's too proud—but let me apologize on her behalf. I know it's not the same, and I don't expect you to forgive her—hell, I don't really expect you to forgive me; for all I know, you're not even reading this, you burned it the moment you saw the return address—but know that in the end, I did the right thing. I just couldn't be with someone who would treat someone that I cared about like that. And Bella, I truly do care about you. I may not have loved you like I thought I did, but as a friend, maybe even as a little sister, I _do_ love you. I swear it's platonic, though. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me for the pain I put you through, even if you still never want to talk to me again. I'd understand that, I swear I would, but I'd also sleep a little better at night knowing that I've made amends with you. So, if you read this, would you do me a favor? Send me a text, or call me, or email, anything, just to let me know that you've received this letter and what your reaction is. I don't even care if you tell me to f-off, just let me know. Please? _

Harrison let out a cry from his bassinet. I was nearly done with Emmett's letter, but the rest of it could wait; taking care of my baby, my family, was my top priority. I lifted him up and cuddled him, but his quiet cries didn't cease. When I laid him down in my arm and he immediately started foraging for my chest, I smiled down at my baby. "Hungry boy, eh? Well, I'm just the one to take care of that for you." I pulled one of the sofa pillows over to support my arm while I held Harrison and helped him latch on; I watched him nurse for several minutes, and he looked back into my eyes. This was my favorite part of being a stay-at-home-mom: the bonding I got to do with Harry every time I nursed him. It was our special quiet time; nothing else mattered during these moments, it was just him and me. After twenty minutes, I gently broke the suction around his mouth and pulled him away, which caused him to whimper. "It's okay, baby," I cooed. "I know you're not done, but you need to burp, and then I've gotta turn you over, okay? We need to keep Mommy even." I smiled down at him and he grinned back at me; he'd gotten Edward's crooked smile, too. I still hadn't seen any of me in Harry, but that didn't matter to me. Edward claimed that he had my quiet, forgiving personality, but I thought it was a little early to be making that call. After a few pats on the back, Harrison let out an enormous belch, causing me to giggle. "Feel better, little one?" He cooed his adorable baby noises back at me. I turned him over and helped him latch onto my other side, and like before, I just watched him as he seemed to become 'milk-drunk' and sleepy. Within ten or twelve minutes, his eyes slipped closed and his jaw became slack. I ran my nipple over his cheek and lips a couple of times to make sure he really was done, and he didn't even stir, so I put myself back together and rotated on the couch, lying with my head propped up on one arm and my body stretched out over the cushions. I adjusted Harry carefully so that he was lying on my chest, tummy to tummy, and I just allowed myself to feel him breathing slowly in his sleep. This feeling was also pretty high on my list of things I loved about being a Mom.

I picked up Emmett's letter and read the final paragraph.

_I hope you don't tell me to f-off, but like I said, I'll understand if you do. I'm not trying to coerce you, Bella, I'm just trying to do the right thing here after I messed up so bad last year. I'm not sure I'll ever forgive myself for hurting you the way I did, which is why I can't blame you if you choose not to forgive me, either. Just know that from the depth of my heart, I am sorry._

_Sincerely,_

_Emmett_

I refolded the lined paper and tucked it inside the card, then placed the whole packet on the table. He'd definitely given me some things to think about in his letter, and it had felt genuine. It was possible to fake things in writing, but this didn't feel fake. I wasn't prepared to make a snap decision, though. I'd let Emmett's words permeate my mind for a few hours, and then read the letter again before making a judgment call. I knew I should probably talk to Edward about it, too, though I also knew exactly what he'd tell me: 'I'm not going to tell you whether you should or shouldn't forgive the guy, Bella. _You _are the one he hurt, so that decision lies with you alone. I'll support you in whatever you decide.' I smiled as I heard Edward's words in my head as if he were really here.

Remembering the advice I'd gotten from Dr. Snow, Edward, and every single baby book I'd read—_sleep when the baby sleeps—_I closed my eyes and slipped into dreamland.

x-x-x

Edward

Coming home from work early was a rare treat for me, but it was exactly the opportunity I got on the Monday that was my birthday. Because I spent my days working, I didn't know Bella and Harry's schedule, so I entered the house quietly in case the baby was sleeping. Walking quietly into the living room, I saw one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen in my entire life: my stunning wife lying on the antique sofa with our son lying on his belly on her chest, both breathing the slow, deep breaths of sleep. I couldn't help myself; I just stood there for several minutes watching them sleep. Knowing that I should actually make use of my afternoon off and start preparing the house for the birthday dinner that we were having here tonight, I tore my eyes away from the two most important people in my life.

Bella did a great job keeping the house tidy, and today was no exception. There were a few papers on the coffee table; it mostly looked like today's mail, though. Nothing major. As I was stacking it all up to go put in the bill basket for attention later, two of the papers caught my eye. One was a sheet of pink stationery, the other a yellow envelope. I recognized the pink paper, though I hadn't seen it in over a year. And the handwriting on the paper was unmistakably Bella's. I knew that I shouldn't read it, but I couldn't stop my eyes from drifting across the paper. When I read _Dear Harrison _on the top, I was enthralled. It had been months since Bella had written a letter to me, and while I wasn't _jealous _per se, it did strike me as odd that she'd write a letter to a baby. I sat down carefully in the wingback chair off to one side of the couch and allowed myself to read the letter.

By the time I reached the bottom of the paper, I practically had tears in my eyes. That was one of the most beautiful pieces of prose I'd ever read. It was so heartfelt and honest, I'd actually forgotten about the other one that had caught my eye. I allowed my eyes to skirt across Bella's words again, and was struck by the fact that she felt bad about not having written to me recently. That was unnecessary, and I made a mental note to talk to her about that when she woke up. There was no reason for her to feel that way; honestly, I hadn't written anything to her outside of a text message in several weeks, either. She was right in her letter to Harry, though; it was something that we should try to do more of, even if it wasn't as necessary a part of our relationship as it had been for our first fourteen years as friends.

"Are you reading my letter?" Her voice caught me off guard, and I looked up guiltily.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I was just cleaning up for the dinner tonight, and it caught my attention."

"It's okay. I have no secrets from you. I would've shown it to you anyway. Saves me the trouble of doing it later." She smiled sleepily at me.

"Well, I'm glad to have made your life a little easier," I said, smirking. The ways she had of looking at life situations amazed me sometimes. She was so logical, even when she wasn't trying. I supposed that came from three years of law school and eighteen months as a lawyer in a high powered firm.

"Since you're in a reading mood, though, take a look at the letter in the yellow envelope. I want to talk it over with you, and it'll be easier once you've read it."

I flipped through the papers that I'd stacked up until I found the envelope she was referring to. It was the same one that'd caught my attention alongside the pink paper. The first thing that caught my attention was that it was addressed to Bella Swan. She'd changed her name when we'd gotten married, and it had been nearly six months now; who would still be addressing mail to her maiden name? A quick glance at the return address—somewhere in Seattle—and I thought I knew. I quickly read the card and the accompanying notebook paper and then looked back at Bella. I'd been right about the writer of the note, though the content there wasn't exactly what I'd expected to read.

"Thoughts?" she asked.

I thought for a moment before answering her, then gave her my honest opinion of what I'd read in her ex-fiancé's letter. "It sounds incredibly heartfelt and sincere to me. But in the end, it's your decision, love. I would support you in either situation, whether you decide to forgive him or if you tell him to…" I trailed off, searching for Emmett's word. "F-off." I smirked at the bluntness. "I can't say that I wouldn't be absolutely amazed if you find it in your heart to forgive him after what he put you through, but at the same time, I don't expect anything less from you. You're a strong woman, Bella, and I know you'll make the right decision for yourself. I also know that holding a grudge isn't your style. But in the end, the decision is yours and yours alone. In either case, I'm on your side."

"I had a feeling you'd say that," she said, a small smile playing at her lips.

"Did you?"

"Yeah. You used a few more words than when I imagined your reaction in my mind, but the gist of the speech is the same."

"Sorry to be so predictable."

"Not predictable, just consistent. It's a good thing." She shifted on the couch, rotating her body to a sitting position while doing her best not to wake Harry. Scooting her bottom forward on the couch, she stood smoothly and the baby never even stirred. She stepped over to me and gently laid our son in my arms. "I have a phone call to make. It shouldn't take long, and when I'm done, I'll help you tidy the house, then get started on your birthday dinner. Speaking of, have I told you 'happy birthday' yet today?"

I grinned at her, remembering the steamy start to my thirtieth birthday we'd shared this morning before I'd left for work, plus the numerous text messages she'd sent throughout the day. "I believe you have, Mrs. Cullen," I told her, stretching up from my sitting position to kiss her on the lips.

"In that case, I won't repeat myself," she said, smirking down at me. That—the smirking—was definitely something she'd picked up from me over the past year, I was pretty sure. Before I could respond, she had turned around, grabbed her cell phone from the coffee table, and walked quickly to our bedroom. I couldn't help chuckling at her, but at the same time admiring her backside as she walked away from me.

There was really very little tidying to do, so instead of worrying any more about it just now, I leaned back in the armchair and just watched Harrison sleep.

Twenty minutes later, Bella still hadn't reemerged from the bedroom, and Harrison was freaking out. I'd changed his diaper, cuddled him, swaddled him, even tried burping him. Nothing was working. As much as Bella needed to have the conversation I knew she was having with Emmett, I hated to interrupt her, but Harrison needed the one thing I couldn't provide for him: food. I knocked gently on the bedroom door, more to announce my presence than to request admission, and entered the room. The second he saw his mother, Harrison calmed considerably. He didn't fully stop crying, but seeing the promise of his needs being met, his insistent cries slowed to whimpers. "I think he's hungry," I whispered.

Bella nodded, and just a moment later said into the phone, "Emmett, I've gotta go; Mommy duty… Yeah, I'm glad we got to talk to. I'm sorry things with Rose didn't work out…" She laughed. "You're right, I'm not _that_ sorry. She was the worst friend ever. I don't want to gossip, though. Not to toot my own horn or whatever, but I'm above that… Yeah, I forgive you. I'm not going to promise to be your best friend, but we can eventually move past the incident last year… Thanks for the letter… Bye." She pressed a button on her phone and laid it down on her night table, on top of the newspaper article she kept there; the one about James the doorman from our old apartment building having been arrested for attempted rape of another woman in the building. I didn't really understand her desire to keep the article; she'd tried to explain it to me, but I just couldn't wrap my mind around it. Knowing that he was locked away would've been enough for me, but Bella liked the constant reminder for some reason. I was sure that she'd eventually get rid of it, so I didn't begrudge her keeping it now.

I couldn't stop the question from escaping my lips. "You sure that's the right decision for you?" I was a man of my word, I wouldn't hold it against her, but I didn't want to see her get hurt again in the future.

She stood from the edge of the bed where she'd been perched and walked around to where I was standing, still holding a whimpering Harry. Once she'd taken him from me, she stretched up on her toes and kissed me sweetly. "Yeah, I'm sure. Between the brutal honesty of the note and the phone call just now, I believe his sincerity."

"Good." I smiled down at her and kissed her forehead. "So long as it was the right decision for _you, _and you didn't just do it for him, I'm happy for you."

"It was the right decision for me," she promised.

We sat together on the sofa while Harry nursed, and when he'd fallen asleep since his bottom was dry and his stomach full, Bella laid him in his bassinet on the floor and we tackled the tidying together. By the time the doorbell rang two hours later, the house was clean and Bella was just pulling the chicken pot pies out of the oven—the same recipe she'd made the very first time she'd cooked for my parents; it had made a good impression on me, and when she asked what I wanted for my birthday dinner, I'd instantly come up with this. The doorbell woke Harrison, so I picked him up and carried him to the front door with me; within about half a second of my mom entering the house, she'd taken the baby from me and was already talking to him; he loved his Nana, and she had him cooing and giggling almost instantly.

The big surprise came when my parents walked past me and Jasper and Alice were standing behind them. "Hey, man, I didn't think you guys were back from Bali until next week." I pulled my brother into a man-hug.

"Yeah, well, we needed to throw you off the trail, right? Wouldn't have been much of a birthday surprise if you'd known we were coming, would it?"

I chuckled. "I suppose not." I wasn't honestly sure how else to react; I was stunned to see them here. The two extra pies suddenly made sense to me. "Did you tell Bella you were coming tonight?"

"We had to," Alice announced matter-of-factly. "I knew she was cooking, and not telling her that we were coming so she could plan the food would've just been rude. Where is my _sister, _by the way?" She practically squealed the word _sister._

"She's in the kitchen," I told Alice, laughing again when she practically ran through the house in the direction of Bella.

Jasper and I walked through the foyer to the living room where our parents were. "Happy birthday, man," he told me as we walked.

"Thanks."

Before we'd even had an opportunity to sit down and talk with our parents, Bella was calling everyone to the table for dinner.

She'd worked fast; when I'd left to answer the door, she was just taking the pies out of the oven, with nothing else out. When we all arrived at the table, everything was served onto plates, including salad, and there was a huge chocolate cake in the center of the table. My normal chair had a huge cake-shaped helium balloon with the words _Happy Birthday _scrawled on it tied to the rungs on the back, and next to my plate there was a blue envelope which I assumed was a card from my wife.

"You can open your card now or later; it's up to you," she said, smiling and taking her seat right next to mine.

It may have been rude with all of my family here, but I wanted to read the card now. I turned the envelope over and slipped my finger underneath the glue holding the envelope closed. I pulled the card out and looked at the front; it was a lighthouse theme, which I knew Bella would have chosen specifically to go in my office at work. I'd decorated my little room at the clinic in lighthouses as a reminder that sometimes I was the light for people in my profession. The message on the front was simple; it just said _Happy Birthday. _I opened the card and saw that there was no greeting there, but that Bella had filled both sides with a personal message.

_Dear Edward,_

_It's been way too long since I wrote anything to you, and I apologize for that. I never want to really lose that special connection. We've talked about it several times, but despite all the talking, I've let my end of the bargain slip. Starting today, I'm going to get back on track. We had that once-a-week pact for so many years, and I think it would be nice to get back into that habit. You don't have to commit to that again, but I want to._

_It's hard for me to fathom that we've been 'together' for just a year at this point. Things moved fast, but yet they didn't. We knew each other without knowing each other for so long. I feel like I owe my eighth-grade English teacher a thank you card for bringing you into my life. I've been incredibly blessed to get to know you—in every way, emotionally, physically, and otherwise—for just about half of my life. I'm glad it was you who got my letter back then. _

_So, what to say to you now, on this momentous occasion of your 30__th__ birthday… Honestly, I can't think of anything beyond the same words I say out loud to you nearly every day. You've made me feel like the luckiest girl in the entire world; I still don't know how I got so lucky as to become your wife, but I'm glad I did. You're my husband, life partner, best friend, and father of my child; I love you in all of those roles. I love you._

_All my love,_

_Bella_

The message was short—which was understandable, considering it was written inside a card—but there was so much emotion and promise written into those few words that I felt my heart swell. I literally felt like the Grinch in the old cartoon, like my heart grew three sizes in the few minutes it took me to read the note.

I'd been grateful to Mr. Banner several times over the past fifteen years for having 'introduced' me to Bella, but upon reading this letter from my pen-pal-turned-wife, I felt like I owed him my life.

I looked up at my wife, ignoring everyone else in the room, and spoke only to her. "You're not the lucky one, I am." And I meant it, too.

**THE END**

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**A/N: Wow. I know I've been building up to this for several weeks, but I still can't believe it's over. I want to take a moment to send special thanks to Rory (who's been with me since chapter… 12, I think). I know that there are thanks to her at the top of each chapter, but at this conclusion, it seems inappropriate not to send extra love her way now.**

**Also, thanks to Gerri, who did an amazing job as beta for the first two-thirds of this story. It was only when I fell behind that my relationship with her faltered.**

**Thanks to my friends Caz and Sarita, also known as my "partners in crime," (or co-writers) lol. These two lovely ladies have gotten to be amazing friends, and both are huge supporters of me when I'm feeling especially insecure. Love you both.**

**Special thanks to each and every one of you who read, reviewed, and rec'd my story on your various blogs and other places. You all have a special place in my heart.**

**Also, don't forget about Sexual Healing and Speak Now. Neither of those show up as "my stories" because they're on different profiles for reasons I've already explained; both are on my favorites list.**

**Additionally, I've got a new fic, Music of the Heart, which IS on my profile. Please, take a read-and review!**

**If you're interested, there's a PDF download of this story available on my blog. Please feel free to download it and read it and email it to your friends. My only request is that you don't post it on any other sites. Here's the link (just remember to remove the spaces): ht tp : / wmr1601 . wordpress . com / 2011/09/04/pen-pals-pdf-now-available-for-download/ **


	44. Future Take: Blast from the Past

**A/N: Still don't own **_**Twilight**_**. Still **_**do**_** own **_**Pen Pals**_** and its outtakes.**

**So, this isn't technically an **_**outtake. **_**It's a future-take; not far past the end of the original story, though, just a couple of months.**

**The scene: it's a sunny afternoon in late-September and Edward has once again gotten off of work early. Our favorite letter-writers are taking baby Harrison to visit… an old friend.**

**Thanks to Rory for adding just enough to make it better! Love you!**

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**Outtake #2: BLAST FROM THE PAST**

**Edward**

As I drove home from work, I found myself thinking back to Bella's letter to Harry. She'd had an interesting idea that she'd penned there: taking the baby to meet our old teachers. Under normal circumstances, I'd have thought that was bizarre and lame, but considering the fact that Harrison wouldn't even exist if it wasn't for our little 'pen pals' project, it seemed… I'm not sure _appropriate _is the right word, but it worked. We couldn't take him to see Bella's old teacher since she went to school in Forks—not right away anyway—but we could take him to see Mr. Banner at the high school near my parents' house. I just hoped he was still teaching.

Harry was seven months old now, and starting to be more active. He couldn't quite crawl properly yet, but he did this little scooting thing that reminded me of a soldier. I'd even (playfully) accused my brother of training him to be an army guy before he was even a year old yet. Jasper had taken it in stride and had even played along with me, saying, "It's never too early to learn to serve your country."

In the past few weeks, I'd learned more about Bella and Harry's schedule, and tried to be careful not to come home during scheduled naptimes. According to the normal routine, they should be up and about by now; the thought of visiting Mr. Banner seemed better and better by the minute and I was anxious to do it today if we could—of course, that depended on if Bella had anything already planned, though; I didn't get off in the afternoons often. In fact, today was the first free afternoon since my birthday nearly three months before.

Just as I'd suspected, my wife and son were playing together in the living room when I unlocked the door and let myself in. "Hey," I greeted them.

"Hey," Bella replied, sounding surprised. "I didn't expect you to be home this early."

"Yeah, it was a bit of a surprise for me, too, in fact a total coincidence; I had three cancellations for this afternoon and a meeting rescheduled with Dr. Snow." I walked over to them and sat on the edge of the couch behind Bella as Harrison army-crawled over to me and Bella reached up from her kneeling position on the floor to greet me with a hug and a kiss.

"That's great honey, surprises like this you can give me any time you want."

"So, Bella, I was thinking about this all the way home, about something you said—or wrote, actually—and since I'm home early enough today…" I looked at her expectantly, and she just cocked one eyebrow at me, silently asking me to continue. "Remember in your letter to Harry, you mentioned maybe taking him to visit the teachers who assigned the Pen Pals project? Why don't we take him to see my old teacher today? And when we go visit your parents for Thanksgiving, we'll take him to see yours. I'll even commit to staying a few extra days to make sure we don't miss out."

"Really?"

I nodded my head at her question. "Unless have something else planned?"

"No, we're free. This sounds like a great idea; let's do it."

She kept a diaper bag for Harry packed and sitting next to the door all the time, so it was always ready when she was. It was brilliant, really, and another example of the logic she'd learned as a lawyer being used in real life. She assured me that he was freshly fed and changed, so she just slipped on a pair of sandals and we were out the door.

When we pulled up to the high school, I was encouraged to see plenty of cars in the lot even though it was nearly three-thirty in the afternoon and school had let out fifteen minutes earlier; it was late enough that these wouldn't be students, but there were enough of them that I held out some hope that one belonged to Mr. Banner. Bella carried Harry, and I draped one arm over her shoulders, and we made our way to the front office. It was crazy to me how the place hadn't changed even one bit since I'd graduated over twelve years before. The secretary greeted us with a smile. "How can I help you?"

"I was wondering if Jim Banner is still teaching here," I started, "and if so, would he be okay with a visit from an old student."

"Give me just a second and I'll check," she said, then picked up a phone and dialed a four-digit number. After a hushed conversation she let us know that Mr. Banner was quite interested in seeing a former student and she gave us his room number.

Despite all the years it had been since I'd stepped foot in this place, I remembered the way with no difficulty and we were entering my old English classroom within just a few minutes of having left the main office.

Mr. Banner's face lit up in instant recognition as soon as I walked through the door. "Edward Cullen," he gushed. His gaze flashed from me to Bella, to Harrison and then back to me again. "My, my, my, what's brought you here? You're a doctor now, right? I think my sister is a patient of yours."

I strode briskly across the classroom and shook his outstretched hand. "Hey, Mr. Banner. Yeah, I stayed local and went to undergrad and med school here in Chicago, and now I work out of the clinic on the second floor of Grace Hospital downtown. I've been there about a year and a half now."

He sat down on one of the student desks and with a wave of his hand invited me to do the same. I was glad he didn't seem to expect me to sit in the attached chair. I probably would've fit—I wasn't that much bigger than I had been in high school—but there was some sort of message that that would have sent, I thought. It didn't matter, though; we were both sitting on top of desks, facing each other like old friends. "So, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Actually, sir, I wanted to introduce you to my wife." I looked up and realized that Bella had paused at the back of the room near the door. I gestured for her to come join us. She watched her feet the entire way up and looked embarrassed now that we were actually here, doing this. I knew she was out of her comfort zone, so I didn't try to pressure her into speaking or anything. She stood next to my desk and I wrapped one arm around her waist. "Mr. Banner, this is my Bella, my wife, and our son Harrison."

"It's very nice to meet you, Bella," Mr. Banner said.

"You, too, sir," she replied quietly.

"Mr. Banner—" I began.

He cut me off before I could get any further than that. "Please, Edward, call me Jim. You're not my student anymore; we can be casual with each other."

I blinked a few times. I wasn't entirely sure how comfortable I was with that, but he seemed to be insisting. "Okay, Jim," I actually stuttered over his name. Laughing at myself, I apologized. "It'll just take some getting used to; I've never called a teacher by their first name. Anyway, the reason I came here today, and brought my family, is because we wanted Bella and Harrison to meet you… to thank you, really." I paused for dramatic effect.

It worked; his interest was piqued. "Thank me? I don't understand."

"Bella was the pen pal I was assigned when I was in your ninth-grade English class."

The room was so quiet I was sure you could've heard a pin drop. Mr. Banner kept looking back and forth between us, and finally a huge grin broke out over his face. "That is amazing news. I never expected to hear _that_. How did you eventually meet? I mean, Shelly's class is what, near Seattle, right?"

"Forks, actually, about four hours north of Seattle," Bella said, appearing to loosen up.

"Well, this is fabulous," Mr. Banner—I just couldn't call him Jim, at least not unless I had to—said. "Tell me the whole story."

Bella and I glanced at each other in silent conversation, and I gave an abbreviated version of our tale. I explained how we'd kept in touch and eventually decided to meet. I left out the parts about the botched wedding, unplanned pregnancy, and paternity tests. "So, we've been married almost a year now, and we have you—"

"And Mrs. Cope," Bella interrupted.

"Yes, you and Mrs. Cope to thank for it."

"I am absolutely floored," he said, and he looked it.

A few more seconds of looking back and forth between us, and he said, "Well, I always knew that project was worthwhile, but now I'm more sure than ever that it's great for my students. I'm so glad you came back to visit me, Edward and that you brought your lovely pen pal here and your son. I'm sure you've probably heard this before, but he really looks just like you."

Bella and I just laughed and nodded our heads in unison.

"I hope you don't mind if I tell your story to my students when I give out the pen pal assignment? That's on the lesson plan for next week. I have a feeling that it is a tale that many will find inspirational."

"Of course Mr. Ban… I mean Jim, we would be honored if you did," I replied, smiling widely.

The conversation continued from there, and we visited with Mr. Banner for nearly an hour. He even held Harrison for a little while, and spoke to him, "I'll make sure to get you a really special pen pal of your own in a few years."

At one point, Bella pulled out the digital camera from her purse. I thought it was crazy the way she kept it with her all the time, but she always insisted that _you never know when you'll need it with kids_. "Mr. Banner, would you mind if we took a picture of the four of us? I think it would be a really good addition to Harry's baby book."

"On one condition," he replied, looking back and forth between us. "You have to email me a copy to use for the introduction of the pen pals project next week."

"Deal," Bella and I agreed simultaneously.

By the time we left, the three of us were like old friends. I couldn't make a promise that we would definitely come back to visit, but I did promise to try.

"That was so worth it," Bella said when we were settled back in the Volvo. "It'll be fun to see if Mrs. Cope has the same reaction when we visit her."


End file.
